N.C. Supreme Court suspends one judge for 75 days, upholds another judge’s censure

The N.C. Supreme Court addressed the fates of two District Court judges today.

Forsyth County District Judge Denise Hartsfield faces a 75-day suspension without pay in connection with charges that she fixed traffic tickets for friends, then lied to the SBI about her actions.

The high court also upheld the censure of Mecklenburg County District Judge John Totten. Totten agreed to the censure last fall and acknowledged violating the Code of Judicial Conduct while handling a drunk driving case in September 2010.

In other opinions released today:

• The Supreme Court vacated a lower court’s attempt to change the murder sentence of a Nash County inmate who was convicted before North Carolina’s structured sentencing laws took effect in 1994.
• The Supreme Court reversed the N.C. Court of Appeals and ruled against Kannapolis in a zoning dispute over more than 75 acres targeted for a “neighborhood office and a light industrial and retail business park.”
• The high court reversed the N.C. Court of Appeals and ruled that expert testimony is not required to determine that the victim of a sexual offense had diminished mental capacity that would prevent her from giving consent.