L. Todd Burke
| L. Todd Burke | |
|---|---|
| Born | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 💼 Occupation | Senior Resident Superior Court Judge |
| Known for | Was the youngest Resident Superior Court Judge at the time of appointment on January 27, 1995, and the first Black Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Winston-Salem Forsyth County, North Carolina, as of January 1, 2015. Became the first Black male prosecutor in Winston-Salem in 1987. |
L. Todd Burke[1] (born October 14, 1961, Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is a Resident Superior Court Judge in Forsyth County. Burke is the son of former State House Representative Logan Burke and Mayor Pro Tempore and City Council Member Vivian H. Burke.[2]
Early life
A lifelong resident of Winston-Salem, Burke graduated from East Forsyth High School. He is a graduate of Morehouse College and North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Law and politics
Upon graduation from law school, Burke became a prosecutor initially in Kinston, North Carolina and then returned to Winston-Salem. Afterwards, he entered private practice at the law firm of Friende and Burke. In December 1994, only nine years after graduating from law school, Governor James B. Hunt appointed Burke to the Superior Court Bench, at the time serving as the youngest Resident Superior Court Judge in the state.
Burke formed a drug awareness and educational support workshop for youth at the Piedmont Public Housing Development. He served as vice-chairman of his political party in his county, president of that party's young people's club, and played integral roles in both his mother's and father's political campaigns. While presiding in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Burke heard a case where a drunken female driver killed a driver in another vehicle. As a result of her guilty plea, he ordered her to wear a sign stating she was a convicted drunk driver [3] and, as a result of the death, to wear the sign for one hour per month outside the courthouse for a year. Additionally, she was ordered to maintain a memorial site at the accident scene, obtain an alcohol assessment, serve six months in jail, and be on probation. This creative sentencing received national and international attention. Burke appeared on a British radio talk show, Nancy Grace's Pros and Cons, Fox National News, John Walsh, and numerous local news outlets, from print to audio and video media.[4]
In 2018, following a challenge to a new law requiring legislative confirmation of cabinet appointees, Burke's judicial district was merged with that of another incumbent. The American Bar Association stated that this was a legislative "attack on the independence of North Carolina courts."[5] Burke and four other judges later spoke out against the legislature's actions.[6]
Personal life
Burke is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He also received several honors and recognitions, including: Selection to the National Directory of Who's Who in Executives and Professionals; Recognition from the Winston-Salem Housing Authority for participation with youth in public housing; Life Membership in the Morehouse College Alumni Association; Life Membership in the North Carolina Central University Alumni Association; Membership in Outstanding Young Men in America; and inclusion in Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities. - Page – North Carolina General Assembly, The Honorable Judson D. DeRamus, Jr. Special Recognition – Winston-Salem Chronicle Board of Sponsors – Martin Luther King International Chapel, Morehouse College
References
- ↑ "Hon. Logan Todd Burke - a Winston Salem, North Carolina (NC) Lawyer". pview.findlaw.com. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
- ↑ "City of Winston-Salem | Home". cityofws.org. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
- ↑ "Drunk Driving Case Law - North Carolina DUI Lawyers & Attorneys | Find a DUI Lawyer". dui1.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
- ↑ "NORTH CAROLINA COURT OF APPEALS ISSUES OPINION REGARDING LEASING UNLIMITED OF SOUTHERN PINES V. LEASING UNLIMITED OF SOUTHERN PINES - US Fed News Service, Including US State News | HighBeam Research". highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
- ↑ Corriher, Billy (2018-03-22). "The North Carolina legislature is attacking judges who rule against it". American Bar Assoc. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
- ↑ Sutton, Linda (2018-03-26). "Linda Sutton: We should join Forsyth judges standing up to legislative attacks". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
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