Jesse Caldwell III served 28 years as a Superior Court judge in Gaston County before he reached the mandatory retirement age of 72 last month.
On Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Caldwell's son, Jesse Caldwell IV, to fill the vacant seat.
The new Judge Caldwell is chief juvenile public defender for Gaston County and has been an assistant public defender for 10 years. He's also a guest lecturer at Johnson C. Smith University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at UNC Chapel Hill and his law degree at the Charleston School of Law.
The elder Judge Caldwell, who was chief Superior Court judge when he retired, also worked in the Gaston County public defender's office — in the early 1990s.
He says he's thrilled with his son's appointment: "He is smart, hard working, caring, and has a wonderful temperament."