CLAYTON – Chief Judge Paul A. Holcombe, a district court judge for the Eleventh Judicial District covering Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties, announced Wednesday his candidacy for the newly created superior court seat in Johnston County. Holcombe was first elected as a district court judge in 2008 and won re-election in 2012, 2016 and 2020. In January of this year Holcombe was chosen from among all the district court judges in the Eleventh District to serve as the Chief District Court Judge by Chief Justice Paul M. Newby of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Holcombe, who grew up in Raleigh, received his undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1991. After graduation from law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law, he began his law career in 1994 as an assistant district attorney general in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Upon returning to North Carolina in 2003, Holcombe continued his public service as a prosecutor. He served four years in the District Attorney’s office in Cabarrus County and two years in the District Attorney’s office in Johnston County. In all three offices his responsibilities included prosecution of violent crimes, including sexual predators, drug offenses, property and financial crimes, and traffic offenses including DWI. He was recognized as a Board Certified Specialist in State Criminal Law from 2005 to 2010. “As a prosecutor, I was privileged to serve with our hardworking law enforcement officers and community leaders to ensure the safety of our communities.”
While serving as a district court judge, Holcombe has presided over criminal courts (Probable Cause, Misdemeanor, Traffic and Domestic Violence) and civil courts (Domestic, Domestic Violence, DSS, DJJ and Mental Health) on a rotating basis in all three counties that comprise the Eleventh Judicial District. He has been a certified juvenile judge since 2010.
In 2015 Holcombe was appointed by then-Chief Justice Mark D. Martin to the NC Commission on the Administration of Law & Justice, www.nccalj.org, where he served on both the full commission and the Criminal Investigation and Adjudication subcommittee.
Since becoming Chief District Court Judge he has also presided over the Veterans Treatment Court in Harnett County which serves veterans residing in Johnston, Harnett and Lee Counties as well as surrounding counties.
“It is an honor to serve the people of North Carolina as one of their district court judges. I appreciate the bi-partisan support I receive from the citizens of Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties and would be privileged to continue my service in this newly created role.”
Judge Holcombe has been married to Deanne Holcombe since 1994. His wife serves as a media specialist for the Johnston County school system. They reside in Clayton with their two daughters.
