Cressie Thigpen facts for kids

Cressie H. Thigpen Jr. is a lawyer and judge from North Carolina. He served as a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, which is a very important court in the state.

Early Life and Learning

Cressie H. Thigpen Jr. was born on August 12, 1946. He went to North Carolina Central University and earned a degree in business in 1966. Later, he studied law at Rutgers University and became a lawyer in 1973. He also volunteered for the Peace Corps, helping people in other countries.

Cressie Thigpen's Career

Before becoming a judge, Thigpen worked as a lawyer at a firm now called Blue, Stephens & Fellers. From May 2008, he served as a special judge for superior courts.

In 1999, he made history by becoming the first African-American president of the state bar. The state bar is an organization for all the lawyers in North Carolina.

He also helped lead universities. He was the chairman of the board of trustees for North Carolina Central University. He also served on the board of trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A board of trustees is a group of people who help guide and manage a university.

Serving on the Court of Appeals

In August 2010, Governor Bev Perdue chose Thigpen to be a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He took the place of Judge James Andrew Wynn.

Later that year, in November 2010, Thigpen ran for election to keep his seat. He lost to former Judge Douglas McCullough. This election was special because it was the first time North Carolina used "instant runoff voting" for a statewide election. This is a way of voting where voters rank candidates in order of preference.

After that, Governor Perdue appointed Thigpen to another open seat on the Court of Appeals. This seat became available when Barbara Jackson was elected to the North Carolina Supreme Court.

In 2012, Thigpen ran again to keep his new seat. He received support from the News and Observer newspaper in Raleigh. They wrote that he had done a good job on the court and had a lot of legal experience. Other important judges, like former Chief Judge Sidney S. Eagles Jr. and former Chief Justices Henry Frye and Burley Mitchell, also supported him. However, Thigpen was defeated in the 2012 election by Chris Dillon.