In this episode, we feature a panel of three experts on the North Carolina Judicial Branch: former Supreme Court of North Carolina Associate Justice and North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts Director Franklin Freeman, former Wake County Chief District Court Judge Ned Mangum, and former Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby. The panel discussed the history of the court system, the different levels of our courts, and expressed sincere appreciation for their time serving people through their court positions. The panel was recorded before a live audience in March 2024.

"One of the things that made me want to be a part of our court system is that it's the last place left where we can get Republicans and Democrats working quietly together trying to solve people's problems," said Mangum on the podcast. "You have elected public servants who care about what they do and you never hear their names, which is the way it ought to be."

Franklin Freeman was a senior assistant to Governor Mike Easley. Prior to that position, he served as an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court and as chief of staff to Governor Jim Hunt. In addition, Freeman served as director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of Courts and as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Corrections.

Ned W. Mangum served as a Wake County district court judge for over 16 years, including over two years as Wake County chief district court judge. Before that, he served as Wake County district attorney and as an assistant district attorney.

Colon Willoughby's 27-year career as Wake County’s district attorney ranks him as one of North Carolina's longest-serving district attorneys. In addition, Willoughby served as president of the Wake County Academy of Trial Lawyers, director of the Wake County Bar Association, president of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, and a member of the National District Attorney’s Association board of directors.

This episode of All Things Judicial features an excerpt of an interview with the late Francis I. Parker who served as a Mecklenburg County attorney for over 50 years. Parker was a founding member of the Parker Poe law firm, served in WWII and the Korean War, and held the position of associate justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. In the interview, Parker shares about his early years, his legal career in Charlotte, and outlines what professionalism means for lawyers in North Carolina’s legal community.

"A lawyer cannot have his or her ethics determined by the client, even it it means losing the client," said Parker on the podcast. "If a lawyer purports to be his client's lacky, and engage in activities that he ought not to, sooner or later he's going to be in real trouble."

This interview was conducted by former Executive Director of the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism Mel Wright for the Commission's Historical Video Series. A full version of the interview can be found on the NCcourts Youtube channel.

In this episode, we focus on the Chief Justice's Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts, which released its Final Report in November 2023. Podcast guests on this episode include Task Force members: Seth Banks, elected District Attorney for Avery, Madison, Mitchell, Watauga, and Yancey counties; Judge Angelica McIntyre, Chief District Court Judge for Robeson County; and Judge Mario Perez, District Court Judge for Pitt County. This episode is hosted by Mike Silver, Training and Services Director for the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts.

"This idea of ACEs and being trauma-informed in our courtrooms is a novel concept ... it hasn't really been (holistically) applied anywhere else in this country," said D.A. Banks on the podcast. "This Task Force was really at the cutting edge and I'm thankful for the leadership for pointing us in that direction."

The term "ACEs" refers to "adverse childhood experiences" and "adverse community environments." The Task Force's mission is to understand the impact of ACEs on children and develop strategies for addressing adverse childhood experiences within our court system.