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NORTH CAROLINA JUDICIAL BRANCH
Director Judge Andrew Heath Chief Justice Paul Newby
IMPORTANT STATISTICS
AS OF )UNE 30, 2021
PERSONNEL
The Judicial Branch has more elected
officials than the Executive and Legislative
branches combined, including
7 Supreme Court justices
15 Court of Appeals judges*
109 superior court judges
282 district court judges
100 clerks of superior court
42 district attorneys
7,025.60 total full-time equivalent positions
from all funding sources, as of June 30, 2021
(includes Indigent Defense Services)
BUDGET
$598.2 million certified state appropriations
for FY 2020 -21
2.44% of total State General Fund Budget
About the FY 2020 - 21 Budget
89.2% salaries and benefits
28.6% of funds ($173 million) supports
constitutionally mandated positions
FY 2020-21 State General Fund
Appropriations
Certified Budget Total: $24.5 billion
Judicial Certified: $598.2 million
Under the North Carolina Constitution, the Judicial Branch is established as an equal branch
of state government with the Legislative and Executive branches. North Carolina's court
system, called the General Court of Justice, is a state-operated and state-funded unified court
system. The General Court of Justice consists of three divisions: appellate, superior court,
and district court.
The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) is the administrative agency
for the Judicial Branch. As such, it provides services and resources to help the unified court
system to operate more efficiently and effectively, taking into account each courthouse's
diverse needs, caseloads, and available resources. Services include providing administrative
support to over 7,000 employees of the Judicial Branch, which includes 555 independently
elected judicial officials.
* Specialty services, courts, and alternative
dispute resolution
Note: The certified budget is the budget
enacted by the General Assembly.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is head of the Judicial Branch and appoints a director
to supervise the NCAOC. General Statute 7A-343 sets forth the duties of the director, which
include budgeting and authorizing expenditures from appropriated funds, identifying staffing
needs statewide, procuring and distributing equipment and supplies, and prescribing uniform
practices for clerks. The director also makes recommendations for the overall improvement
of the Judicial Branch.
All operating expenses of the Judicial Branch are paid by the state, including salaries and
travel expenses of all court officials, juror and witness fees, and equipment and office
supplies for the statewide judicial system. Counties and cities, however, are responsible for
providing courtrooms and related judicial physical facilities.
To protect and preserve the rights and liberties of all the people as guaranteed by the Constitutions and laws of the United States and
North Carolina by providing a fair, independent, and accessible forum for the just, timely, and economical resolution of their legal affairs
