RALEIGH — A Richmond County judge is one of five new appointments made to N.C. Family Court Advisory Committee earlier this month.
Chief District Court Judge Amanda “Amy” Wilson was appointed to the committee Aug. 19 by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected by Chief Justice Beasley to be on the Family Court Advisory Committee for our state,” Wilson told the RO on Tuesday. “As always, access to justice is vital to an efficient court system and particularly when dealing with families and children.
“It is always beneficial to collaborate with my colleagues across the state in order to ensure that the communities making up our judicial district are adequately served.”
Wilson, who presides over Richmond, Scotland and Anson counties, was appointed chief district court judge in December 2018 by then-Chief Justice Mark Martin to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of former Judge Scott Brewer — who was later appointed to the N.C. House of Representatives in May to fill out the remainder of Ken Goodman’s term after being appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to the N.C. Industrial Commission.
Wilson will fill the balance of Judge Regan Miller’s three-year term as the second family court chief district court judge on the committee, according to a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Miller, chief district court judge of Mecklenburg County, who chaired the committee, recently resigned to focus on “other court matters,” according to the release.
To fill the chair position, Beasley appointed Pitt County Chief District Court Judge Galen Braddy, who has served on the committee since July 2018.
The committee was established in 1999 by then-Chief Justice Henry Frye, an Ellerbe native, “to guide the operation, enhancement and expansion of the North Carolina family court program.”
Members of the committee include judges from every level, clerks of superior court, family court administrators, law professors, specialists, and representatives from specific practices areas who interact with family court, according to the AOC.
“Our family courts help us ensure that we keep family-related matters moving promptly through our judicial system,” Beasley said in a statement. “Each of the new appointees have shown career-long dedication to children and families in North Carolina and I am confident that they will serve the committee well.”
Beasley also appointed the following individuals to three-year terms:
- Shirley Webb-Owens – family court administrator in Judicial District 6 (Halifax, Northampton, Hertford and Bertie counties).
- Julie C. Boyer – certified juvenile delinquency and criminal law specialist and child custody attorney from Winston-Salem.
- Twyla Hollingsworth-Richardson – attorney for the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services.
