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In recognition of his long career on the bench, Larry Wilson, a now retired district court judge, received a rare honor on Friday.
Sitting in one of the courtrooms at the Cleveland County Courthouse, Wilson, surrounded by family, fellow judges and local lawyers, looked at his portrait hanging on the courtroom wall.
“I’m just touched that they feel I deserve this. I’ve always tried to treat everyone fairly and listen to both parties,” Wilson said after the ceremony. “It’s touching and it’s a big event in my life. I never thought such a thing would happen to me.”
Wilson was appointed to the district court bench by Governor James Hunt in 1995. He has been re-elected to the bench six times by voters in his district. From 2000 to 2020, Wilson served as Chief Justice of the District Court, an appointment given to him by Chief Justice Henry Frye.
Even though a long career on the bench was something a young Wilson had hoped for, it was never a guarantee.
“I had no idea how long this would last. Every four years I was lucky enough to be rejected by the voters. I was lucky not to have to take this test,” a- he declared.
At Friday’s ceremony, Wilson was praised by his peers for his sense of fairness and willingness to hear all sides of a case before making decisions.
“What Justice Wilson brought with his life on the farm and in agriculture was a lot of common sense and general knowledge,†said Don Bridges, Chief Justice of the Superior Court. “In fact, he has so much common sense that I understand that during his law studies he had, like many of us, a study group. And within that group he was labeled as the reasonable man. “
Wilson retired from the bench in 2020. He is still doing emergency court work, but otherwise plans to spend his time riding his motorcycle and spending time with his family. His portrait now hangs in courtroom 2 of the courthouse.
Dustin George can be reached at 704-669-3337 or [email protected].
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