By Mary Jekielek Insprucker

Following in the footsteps of Rhoda Billings and Susie Sharp, Sarah Parker is the third woman to act as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. However, being the lone woman and the lone Democrat is a position she sinks into as comfortably as slipping into a plump armchair. “Except for about 10 months when I was on the Court of Appeals, I have been the only female in any of my professional fields,” said Parker. “I guess I grew accustomed to it. I have a good rapport with my colleagues and they have always been extraordinarily respectful and helpful.”

Being a woman was not something Parker, who replaced retiring Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr., considers factored into the appointment by Governor Mike Easley. Parker feels it was more about the stars aligning just right. “I think I was chosen because I was the senior member and the only Democrat and there was a Democratic governor in the mansion,” she said. “Historically, the tradition has been that the senior member becomes Chief Justice. Additionally, I think I was chosen because of my record. If I did not have a good reputation as a jurist and person, I would not have been chosen even with seniority.”

Governor Mike Easley and Sarah Parker

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1942, Parker said she thought about going into law at a young age but didn’t put her thoughts into action until after a stint in the Peace Corps in Turkey. “I was a senior in college when John Kennedy was assassinated in November of ‘63,” she said. “The Peace Corps was just established in the first part of his administration. They were recruiting very heavily, and after reading the materials and talking to people, I decided to join.” At the time, Parker was offered a teaching job and had to make the decision between the two. “I thought it was exciting and an opportunity to give something back,” she said, adding, “My strongest memory is of the students I taught.”

After returning from the Peace Corps, Parker went into law earning her undergraduate and her law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before being appointed to the N.C. Court of Appeals in 1984, she was an attorney in private practice for 15 years. Her time in the Court of Appeals ran until 1993, when she joined the N.C. Supreme Court. She has served on the Board of Visitors of UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. Courts’ Commission and as Chief Justice’s designee to Governor’s Crime Commission.

Parker, a member of the Mecklenburg and Wake County Bar Associations, would not comment on her most difficult case as Associate Justice. She would only say, “By the time a case gets to this court, generally one or two issues are a pretty close call. It takes studying precedence, thought, and analysis to decide which is the way the opinion should be written.” That’s where very skilled interpretation of the law comes in. “Sometimes, the facts of a case that you’re trying to decide on are almost identical to another. But there may be just enough difference between them and such factual difference may result in a different ruling.”

So how does Associate Justice compare to Chief Justice? “My calendar is a lot fuller and the administrative duties will take a considerable amount of time. There are also more demands on my time for interviews, which I hope will abate soon.”
Her objectives will also be very time consuming. “First and foremost, my goal is to work with all people in the judicial system to improve and strengthen it to ensure citizens of a fair and impartial administration of justice.” Parker added, “One of the things we need to work on is funding for the courts. If we had more 21st Century assistance, we would be more efficient.”

Those achievements are forth coming. Right now, she is just getting into the saddle and getting up and running as Chief Justice. She told me her first official act was, “…to assign commissions for Superior Court Justice to hold their terms of court next week.”

I asked her if she got a tickle performing her first act as Chief Justice. She replied, “It is a feeling of excitement, and you’re very grateful, but apprehensive. It’s an awesome responsibility and there are a lot of challenges facing the judicial branch of government in making sure its running the way it should be done.”

If Parker had run for Chief Justice this fall and lost the race, she would still be able to keep her current seat. However, being appointed, if she loses the election she will go off the court. She said it was worth the gamble. “I thought very hard about that,” she said. “But the opportunity to be chosen the 27th Chief of the Supreme Court in North Carolina since 1819 is an opportunity that was very difficult to say no to. I also thought in terms of the court and felt it was the right thing for the court and me personally. The court has had a lot of turnover in the last six to seven years. I wanted to provide leadership and make for a smooth transition.”

On top of all her other duties she will have to find time for her re-election campaign. “This will be my seventh statewide race in 20 years,” said the jurist. who is single and loves to read, travel and has a good sense of humor. “Every campaign is different and needs a new approach. But you do build up a cadre of people who support you and you know what to expect.”

At 63, most people would be considering retiring, but not Parker, who said she considers herself a good, hard-working, and fair-minded judge. “I suppose I could easily go into retirement,” said Parker, who has won many Judge of the Year Awards, as well as the Distinguished Woman of North Carolina Award, and the N.C. Association of Black County Officials Humanitarian Award. “But if I’m going to continue to be alive and excited about life I have to keep alert and live to make things interesting.”

Where did she think she would be at 50? “I’m not sure I saw myself as being Chief Justice. But I do think I knew at an early age I wanted to be engaged in something of service.”

So is Chief Justice her last stop, or would she take on the U.S. Supreme Court? “I never close a door to opportunity,” she said. “But I don’t see myself going into a higher court or another elected post at this point in time.”