Service planned for former North Carolina Chief Judge John Martin

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A memorial service will be held Friday for former North Carolina Court of Appeals Chief Judge John C. Martin, who died earlier this month at age 80.

Martin died peacefully at his Raleigh home on April 9, according to an obituary from the Brown-Wynne Funeral Home working with the family. The funeral home said Thursday it had no information on a cause of death.

Gov. Roy Cooper ordered that North Carolina and U.S. flags be lowered at state facilities starting Thursday until Friday night in Martin’s honor.

A Durham native who attended Wake Forest University law school and served briefly on the Durham City Council, Martin was first appointed as a Superior Court judge in 1977. He was first elected to the intermediate-level Court of Appeals in 1984. He ultimately served on the court for more than 24 years, including 10 as chief judge from 2004 until he retired in 2014.

The chief judge oversees the administration of the 15-member court, whose responsibilities include assigning members to three-judge panels that consider cases and scheduling sessions for oral arguments.

Martin also had served as chairman of the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission and president of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal, according to the obituary. Martin’s court portrait was unveiled at the Court of Appeals in 2023.

Friday’s service was scheduled for Christ Church in downtown Raleigh, where he was a member. Survivors include his wife, five children and nine grandchildren, the obituary said.