N.C. State Bar files complaint against Superior Court Judge Tillett

The North Carolina State Bar has filed a complaint against Resident Superior Court Judge Jerry Tillett related to his actions taken against the Kill Devil Hills police chief and several other individuals, including the late Frank Parrish, who at the time of the events in 2011 and 2012, was the District Attorney for the First Judicial District.

The 11-page complaint asks that disciplinary action be taken against Tillett in accordance with state laws and rules of the Bar.

The filing of the complaint comes almost two years to the day after the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission issued a public reprimand to Tillett for the same actions.

Although both agencies’ actions are a result of the same series of events, the agencies have separate roles and focus.

Judicial Standards Commission has jurisdiction over ensuring that judges comply with the Judicial Code of Conduct which applies to the office. Judges found to have violated the Judicial Code of Conduct can suffer a range of penalties ranging from warnings to removal from the bench.

North Carolina State Bar oversees the conduct of all attorneys as prescribed by the Rules of Professional Conduct. Attorneys found guilty of not obeying the Rules of Professional Conduct can be penalized a number of ways, including, the most drastic, loss of the right to practice law.

A response on behalf of Tillett to the State Bar complaint has not yet been filed on the agency’s website.

Click here to read the North Carolina State Bar complaint
Click here to read the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission reprimand