All Things Judicial

This episode provides an in-depth Year-In-Review of the North Carolina Judicial Branch for 2025. This episode covers:
eCourts – A Historical Milestone
New Case Statistics Dashboard
Leadership Appointments
Awards and Innovation Recognition
Statewide Proclamations and Celebrations 
Key Takeaways from 2025

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, this episode features an interview with Swain County Magistrate Gilbert Breedlove, whose remarkable journey of service and cultural preservation bridges the worlds of law, language, and faith.
Magistrate Breedlove serves in the North Carolina Judicial Branch and is also a language editor and Bible translator working with the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and Ojibwe languages. His dedication to preserving and promoting indigenous languages requires a lifelong commitment to service, both in his professional role and in his personal calling.
Before becoming a magistrate, Breedlove served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, worked as a deputy sheriff, and ministered as a pastor. In this All Things Judicial episode, he discusses how his experiences in public service and ministry have informed his work helping to translate the Bible from English into Choctaw—a project years in the making.
“We try to do this in a slow and steady manner instead of trying to rush to get it done,” Breedlove shared in the interview. “With the Choctaw Bible and songbook, it took us 25 years to get it done. And that's a lot of time.”
Photos: Close up of Native American Bible with English translation, Examples of Magistrate Breedlove's language editing projects, Magistrate Gilbert Breedlove holding two projects on which he worked as a language editor

This episode provides an in-depth look at significant developments in the North Carolina Judicial Branch for the month of September. This episode covers:
Judicial Appointments
eCourts Expansion Update
North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court's New Officers
Chief Justice Newby Appoints New Chief Administrative Law Judge
200th Anniversary of the Perquimans County Courthouse

In this special episode, Pitt County Chief District Court Judge Galen Braddy shares his deep-rooted passion for turkey hunting and turkey calling, and how the discipline, patience, and focus it requires mirror the skills he brings to the courtroom.
Judge Braddy, who has served on the bench for over 25 years, offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at his life outside the courtroom, and treats us to a demonstration of a variety of turkey calls. In addition, he shares how turkey hunting and calling trains him for his work in the courtroom, and allows him to recharge to do his best at the job he loves.   
“No matter what's going on, like if you've heard a terrible domestic case where a family is in conflict, you can reboot in the outdoors,” said Braddy on the podcast. “Sometimes it doesn't matter if the turkey gobbles or not, you're just out there. That really brings me back to peace and helps me get away.”
All Things Judicial: Beyond the Bench is part of an ongoing effort to humanize the judiciary and foster public understanding of the people who serve in North Carolina’s court system.
See pictures of Judge Braddy's prize turkeys and the turkey calls he uses.

In this episode,  we feature a wide-ranging conversation with Amanda Lamb, a veteran journalist, true crime author, and podcast host with more than 30 years of experience covering courts and criminal justice in North Carolina.
Best known for her long tenure as a crime reporter for WRAL-TV in Raleigh, Lamb has built a career around telling powerful stories from inside the courtroom. Her reporting has covered some of the state's most high-profile and complex criminal trials. In the episode, she reflects on what it means to witness justice unfold firsthand and the responsibilities that come with bringing those stories to the public.
In the interview, Lamb discusses the challenges of accurately reporting legal proceedings for a general audience, the ethical decisions reporters face inside the courtroom, and how access to judicial proceedings has changed with the rise of digital media and livestreaming. She also shares reflections on particularly memorable cases she covered and her transition from daily reporting to writing and podcasting.
Outside of television, Lamb is the author of several acclaimed true crime books and the host of the investigative podcasts Follow the Truth, What Remains, and The Killing Month August 1978. In addition, she shares about her current podcast, AGELESS: Opening Doors with Amanda Lamb.