Maurice Victor Barnhill (1887–1963) was an associate justice (1937–1954) and chief justice (1954–1956) of the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

. Barnhill was born in

Halifax County, North Carolina Halifax County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,622. Its county seat is Halifax. Halifax County is part of the Roanoke Rapids, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

on December 5, 1887, and attended the University of North Carolina Law School. He was a prosecutor in

Nash County, North Carolina Nash County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,970. Its county seat is Nashville. Nash County is part of the Rocky Mount, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The area ...

and was elected to the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

, serving in 1921. He was a Nash County judge and a state

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge before Governor Clyde R. Hoey appointed him to the state Supreme Court on July 1, 1937. As a superior court judge, Barnhill presided over the murder trial that followed the Loray Mill Strike. in which he is mistakenly referred to as Morris Victor Barnhill) He was subsequently elected to the Supreme Court in 1938 and re-elected in 1946. Barnhill was appointed Chief Justice by Governor

William B. Umstead William Bradley Umstead (May 13, 1895November 7, 1954) was an American politician who served as the 63rd governor of North Carolina from 1953 until his death in 1954. A Southern Democrat, he previously represented North Carolina in the U.S. Se ...

on February 1, 1954, and he was elected to the post on November 2, 1954.

References

Archive of NC Manual
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnhill, Maurice 1887 births 1963 deaths Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Chief justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court 20th-century North Carolina state court judges 20th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly