Paul Martin Newby

Paul Martin Newby (born May 5, 1955) is an American judge, who was first elected to a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2004.^[1] He was elected chief justice in 2020 defeating incumbent Cheri Beasley.

Newby was born in Asheboro, North Carolina, on May 5, 1955, to Samuel O. Newby and Ruth Parks Newby. He graduated from Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, North Carolina. He is an Eagle Scout and former Scoutmaster. A resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, Newby earned a bachelor's degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University in 1977 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980.^[1]

An evangelical Christian, Newby credits Josh McDowell's book More Than a Carpenter as reinforcing his faith in law school. In 1983, he married Toler Macon Tucker, whom he met in law school and whose family had accumulated a fortune from banking and furniture stores. Newby and his wife have adopted four children.^[2]

In September 1994, the Newbys attempted to adopted their fourth child, but were sued for custody by the child's biological father. After being sued, the Newbys returned the child to its biological mother, who was later ordered to return the child to its father. After the incident the couple founded two adoption agencies, including Amazing Grace Adoptions, and successfully adopted their fourth child.^[2]

After four years in private practice in Kannapolis, a year as a counsel to a real estate developer, vice president and general counsel of Cannon Mills Realty and Development Corporation, Newby was appointed as an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina in 1985, a post he held for almost twenty years.^[1] He is an adjunct professor at the Campbell University's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, and the co-author of a book on the North Carolina Constitution.^[1]

In 2004, following the resignation of Justice Robert F. Orr, Newby was one of eight candidates who filed in a special election to fill the vacant seat. He won the race with 23% of the vote for an eight-year term on the court in the statewide judicial elections.^[2] In the officially non-partisan race, Newby was endorsed by the North Carolina Republican Party.^[2] The North Carolina Democratic Party refused to endorse any candidate in the race.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2012, he won re-election to a second eight-year term, defeating Sam J. Ervin IV by a four percent margin.^[2]

On November 3, 2020, Newby was elected as the chief justice, for an eight-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2021.^[3] On January 1, 2021, he was sworn in as the 30th Chief Justice.^[4]

In 2023, Newby attended a legal conference at the Royal Hawaiian Resort in Honolulu, Hawaii, for which Newby's travel was funded by the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, but Newby did not report the trip on his annual judicial ethics disclosure form.^[2]

Between 2008 and 2025, Newby made four donations to political candidates while serving as a judge in North Carolina, despite the state's rules on judicial conduct barring state judges from personal financial contributions to candidates for elected office.^[2]

In 2023, Newby authored a majority opinion for the court that held that partisan gerrymandering was legal in North Carolina, overturning a decision by the North Carolina Supreme Court from the previous year that had outlawed partisan gerrymandering in the state.^[2]

• James Iredell Award, Phi Alpha Delta^[5]
• Scoutmaster, emeritus of Troop 11, Boy Scouts of America^[1]

• The North Carolina Court System, Paul Martin Newby
• Project Vote Smart, Associate Justice Paul M. Newby (NC)
• Star News Online, "State Supreme Court rules eyeballing not enough proof for drug evidence", June 21, 2010
• Katy's Conservative Corner, "Justice Paul Newby: Interpreting the Times", July 5, 2008
• "Watauga Democrat" article - Newby Seeks Second Term