Campbell Law alumni win another N.C. Court of Appeals seat, two Council of State seats

November 6, 2024

RALEIGH- North Carolina voters chose three Campbell Law School alumni to fill another seat on the state Court of Appeals and two Council of State seats - auditor and state secretary.

Tom Murry '07, a Republican, won Seat 12 on the N.C. Court of Appeals, over his opponent Carolyn Jennings Thompson.

Murry previously served in the N.C. House of Representatives 41st District, as an assistant district attorney and as a Judge Advocate in the N.C. Army National Guard. As a legislator, Murry was the primary sponsor of voter ID legislation and a regulatory reform bill that eliminated more than 1,400 regulations.

In an interview with the Daily Tar Heel, Murry said the primary goal of anyone who wants to serve as a judge is to be viewed as fair. He added his experience as a state prosecutor is very important for the work that the appellate court does.

The addition of Murry brings the number of Campbell Law alumni serving on the N.C. Court of Appeals to seven of 15, or nearly 50 percent, more than any other law school.

The other alumni judges are Judges Jeffery Carpenter '03, Allegra Collins '06, Tobias (Toby) Hampson '02, Michael Stading '06, Donna Stroud '88 and John Tyson '79.

Dave Boliek Jr. '97, a Campbell Law School and Campbell Business School graduate, flipped the state auditor seat, ousting Democratic incumbent Jessica Holmes, who was appointed to the position in late 2023 after Democrat Beth Wood resigned.

Boliek, who serves as chairman of the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees, previously served as a prosecutor in Cumberland County and as an attorney in private practice. After law school, he worked helping to manage military family housing, logistics and service contracts on military bases across the country. As chair of the UNC Board of Trustees, he has led reforms to UNC's budget process and established an audit and risk management committee.

His late father, Dave Boliek Sr., was a well-known TV reporter and news anchor in the Triangle. Boliek, who has spent most of his adult life in Fayetteville, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall '81, also a Campbell Law graduate, was the only Democratic incumbent to retain her position in the Council of State.

By receiving nearly 51 percent of the vote and defeating Republican Chad Brown, she was reelected to her eighth, four-year term, giving her the longest tenure on the upcoming Council of State. In 1996, she became the first woman elected to a statewide executive branch office in North Carolina.

Marshall also serves on the law school's Board of Visitors and recently served on the University's Board of Trustees. In October 2014, Marshall was honored with Campbell University's Distinguished Alumni Award. Marshall, an attorney, previously served a term in the state Senate. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation's top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation's best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.

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