RALEIGH -- Governor Roy Cooper named Associate Justice Cheri Beasley as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

“Chief Justice Mark Martin has admirably served our state for years, and I wish him well in his new role,” said Gov. Cooper. “Justice Beasley is a well-respected jurist, and I know her to be fair and deeply committed to viewing all North Carolinians equally through the eyes of the law. I appreciate Justice Beasley’s willingness to serve the people of our state in this critical role.”

Justice Beasley has served on the North Carolina Supreme Court since 2012. She was previously an Associate Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and before that served as a District Court Judge. Governor Jim Hunt first appointed Justice Beasley to the state bench in 1999. Beasley is a graduate of Rutgers University and received her J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Justice Beasley will serve as the state’s first African American female Chief Justice of North Carolina.