Judge Baddour has held court in over a third of counties throughout the state of North Carolina, conducting hundreds of civil and criminal jury trials. He is specially assigned pursuant to Rule 2.1 by the Chief Justice to preside over complex litigation in several cases around the state.
Judge Baddour helps educate judges and lawyers. He is on the Education Committee of the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges, which is charged with planning continuing judicial education for all Superior Court Judges. Additionally, he teaches annually at New Judges School regarding self represented litigants and on the Pattern Jury Instructions. He serves on the Civil Subcommittee of the Pattern Jury Instruction Committee, which is charged with writing and editing the “template” jury instructions used by judges and lawyers across the state.
In the recent pandemic era, Judge Baddour has served on the Innovations and Technology Work Group, which advises the Chief Justice’s COVID-19 Task Force on ways to continue to have court, whether remotely or in person, in a safe and efficient manner that preserves the rights of all involved. He also serves on the Chief Justice’s Remote Proceedings Task Force, which is charged with improving the courts’ ability to efficiently schedule and conduct remote proceedings. For years, he has taught a professionalism and ethics session as a part of the UNC School of Law Festival of Legal Learning. He has taught and participated on panels of numerous other continuing legal education programs.
Judge Baddour helped lead the design and construction of the new Chatham County Justice Center, which greatly expanded the courtroom space in Chatham, thus improving efficiency in the courts. We can now run multiple sessions of Superior and District Court at the same time. There is a jury waiting room, also a first for Chatham. Many remember the unfortunate fire that destroyed the historic courthouse in Chatham. Judge Baddour worked closely with county and court officials, as well as the architect, after receiving valuable community input via the Chatham County Historic Courthouse Task Force, to re-design a modern but flexible courtroom, well integrated with historic features worth preserving and honoring.
Judge Baddour has spoken with thousands of students about the law and the courts. He has visited and spoken with all grades – from kindergarten through high school – and also with college and law students. He regularly speaks to Carrboro Elementary “Spotlight Students” in which a student from each classroom is honored. He regularly invites classes into his courtroom to participate in mock trials, in which students take on the roles of court officials (lawyers, bailiff, clerk, judge, jury).
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