Hon. Charles Becton
Description:
Judge Charles Becton, born in Morehead City, N.C., discusses his childhood, family, and the practice of law. He first describes his close-knit relationship with his family and his experiences being raised by his aunt in Ayden, N.C. He then shares memories about his time at Howard University and how he shifted plans from a military career to becoming a trial lawyer. Subsequent topics include Becton’s civil rights activism while at Duke Law School, reflections on the legal profession, experiences leading trial advocacy programs abroad, and time with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He explains that the most important cases he handled while an attorney were teacher discrimination cases, the Wilmington Ten case, and the Brockman death penalty case. He mentions teaching at UNC School of Law and Duke Law School and his then-upcoming presidency of the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers. Judge Becton was appointed to the N.C. Court of Appeals in 1981.
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