N.C. Court of Appeals judges Ann Marie Calabria and Richard A. Elmore will retire, effective December 31. Both have served on the Court since 2003. Judge Marion R. Warren, director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, surprised both judges on behalf of Governor Roy Cooper by awarding them the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is the highest award for state service granted by the Office of the Governor.

“These judges have made significant contributions to this Court and in communities across this state. The number of opinions authored by each judge in almost 16 years would be at least 1,600, and the number of cases that each has participated in deciding is about 5,000,” said N.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Linda M. McGee. “Their wisdom and insight will leave a lasting legacy on this Court.”

Judge Calabria was born in Bryn Mawr, Penn. She received a Certificate of Proficiency in Dental Hygiene in 1967 from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, her B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1977 and her Juris Doctor from Campbell University School of Law in 1983. Her judicial education includes the School for District Court Judges at the Institute of Government where she was certified as a Juvenile Court Judge and the National Judicial College. She practiced law in Fayetteville and Cary, N.C. Prior to her election to the Court of Appeals, she served as a district court judge in Judicial District 10, Wake County. She was elected to the N.C. Court of Appeals in November 2002, reelected in November 2010 and has served as a mediator for the Court of Appeals since 2003.

Judge Elmore was born and raised in Greensboro, N.C., where he attended the public schools. He received his B.A. from Guilford College in 1974, and thereafter was employed with the N.C. Department of Correction and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He received his Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1982, where he served on the Law Review, and was licensed to practice law that same year. He practiced law in Greensboro for 20 years, with emphasis in the areas of criminal defense and real property. In 2002, he was elected to the Court of Appeals, and in 2010 was reelected to another eight-year term. Judge Elmore has also served as a mediator for the Court of Appeals since 2003.