Episode one of WPVM’s Coverage of NC Judicial and NC House and Senate Candidates.

Retired Justice Robert Orr interviews Democratic Candidate for NC Supreme Court Samuel J. Ervin IV.  Judge Lucy Inman is scheduled for 9.19.22 with Judge Orr. Candidate Dietz was sent an invitation but did not respond to the invitation.

About Justice Ervin: Justice Ervin was elected as an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court on November 4, 2014, winning a full term that expires on December 31, 2022. Prior to being elected to the North Carolina Supreme Court, Justice Ervin served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 2009 to 2015 and was a member of the North Carolina Utilities Commission from 1999 to 2009.

Education

Justice Sam J. Ervin, IV attended the public schools in Burke County and graduated in 1974 from Freedom High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College in 1978, where he majored in history, and earned his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1981.

From 1981 until 1999, Justice Ervin practiced law with the Morganton, North Carolina firm of Byrd, Byrd, Ervin, Whisnant, McMahon, P.A., and its predecessors. While in private practice, Justice Ervin handled a wide variety of civil, criminal, and administrative matters, including numerous appeals to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of North Carolina.

Judicial Service

In 1999, Justice Ervin was nominated by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., and confirmed by the General Assembly to serve on the North Carolina Utilities Commission and, in 2007, he was nominated and confirmed for a second term. As a member of this quasi-judicial body, Judge Ervin was involved in deciding many important regulatory matters related to electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, and water and sewer service. Justice Ervin was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2008. Justice Ervin served on the Court of Appeals until 2014 when he was elected to the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Since joining the Supreme Court, he has participated in deciding more than 540 cases and has authored more than 65 majority and 16 dissenting or concurring opinions.

As a member of both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, Justice Ervin earned a reputation for thoughtful legal decision making. His opinions are perceived to be balanced, thorough and reflect a careful study of the facts and a reasoned application of the law.

Personal Life

Sam J. Ervin IV was born and raised in Morganton, North Carolina, and lives in the house where his grandfather, Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr., was born. He is married to Mary Temple Ervin and has two step-children and two children. Ervin is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Morganton, where he has served as a deacon and currently serves as an elder and the clerk of session. Justice Ervin has also been active in various charitable and bar-related activities; officiates youth, middle school, and high school men’s and women’s soccer matches; and enjoys hiking in the North Carolina mountains and attending music festivals.