The most recent U.S. attorney for western North Carolina is filling a district attorney's position vacated last week when a judge removed the DA from office for “willful misconduct.”
Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Monday his appointment of Andrew Murray as the acting local prosecutor for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties.
Murray was previously the Mecklenburg County district attorney before he was nominated in 2017 by President Donald Trump and later confirmed to become the top federal prosecutor based in Charlotte. He stepped down in late February after President Joe Biden took office.
The removal of DA Greg Newman — a rare occurrence in state jurisprudence — followed a grassroots campaign by families of crime victims who alleged Newman had mishandled cases and failed to prosecute felonies.
Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin declared Newman, who was reelected to a four-year term in 2018, had engaged in “willful misconduct in office” and “conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the office into disrepute.”
The state constitution directs the governor to fill DA vacancies. Murray's appointment lasts through the end of 2022, the governor's office said. The position will be up for election on the November 2022 ballot.
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