Biden picks NC solicitor general as nominee for 4th Circuit appeals court vacancy
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his intent to nominate North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park to the U.S Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.
The U.S. Senate must confirm Park’s nomination before it’s finalized. But North Carolina’s GOP Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are not focused on filling the state’s federal court vacancies, partly because the White House hasn’t reached a consensus with the Republican senators, the Observer previously reported. If confirmed, Park would be the first Asian American, Native American or Pacific Islander to serve on the 4th Circuit, which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
It’s unclear whether Park’s nomination will receive the Senate’s approval before November’s election.
“The strong bipartisan support that Mr. Park has received in North Carolina, including from major law enforcement organizations, underscores that he is the right choice for this seat,” a senior Biden administration official said.
The National Fraternal Order of Police, the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association, the president of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police as well as current and past chairs of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee wrote letters of recommendation in support of Park’s nomination.
Park’s “dedication to justice” can be seen in State v. Oldroyd, which involved the 1996 ambush murder of Jonesville’s Sgt. Gregory K. Martin, said NC Police Executives Association President Estella D. Patterson in a recommendation letter.
Patterson said the case was unsolved until people responsible for the murder were identified, arrested, charged and convicted in 2014. One of the accomplices appealed his conviction.
“The state Court of Appeals agreed and vacated the defendant’s conviction,” she said. “Mr. Park appealed the case to the Supreme Court of North Carolina and served as lead counsel on appeal, which resulted in the decision being overturned and the accomplice set to serve his full sentence.”
Who is Ryan Park?
Park has served as the Solicitor General since 2020, and previously served as the state’s deputy solicitor general from 2017-2020.
He has worked as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court justices, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S District Court judges. Park is a member of the North Carolina Appellate Rules Committee. He’s argued more than 20 cases in state appellate courts.
He teaches at the University of North Carolina School of Law and Duke University School of Law.
Park’s work as deputy solicitor general and solicitor general has been “exemplary,” said Henry A. King Jr, 2024 president of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police in a recommendation letter.
“Mr. Park’s commendable track record underscores his unwavering dedication to the rule of law and his steadfast commitment to upholding traditional constitutional values,” he said.
The White House called attention in its release to Republican signatories including Justice Robert Edmunds and Justice Barbara Jackson on the letter from the North Carolina Bar Association’s Appellate Rules Committee. Both Edmunds and Jackson are Republican former Justices on the NC Supreme Court.
Other federal court vacancies
The president also intends to nominate three people to federal district courts, but none of those are North Carolina vacancies.
Including the most recent announcements, there are 47 federal judicial vacancies across the country and 23 nominees pending.
Park’s nomination appears directed toward a spot held by 4th Circuit Judge James Wynn Jr., who announced his intent to step down in January. Wynn’s seat is among 26 future vacancies across federal courts.
