Judge George Cleland IV of Forsyth District Court has retired from his seat on the bench.
N.C. Administrative Office of Courts confirmed that Cleland’s retirement was effective Friday, Oct. 3, the agency said.
Cleland submitted his retirement letter to the AOC, but the agency declined to publicly release it.
Retirement and resignation letters from state employees are personnel matters, and they are not public records under state law, state officials say.
Cleland couldn’t be reached this week for comment about this retirement.
In September 2020, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Cleland as a district court judge in Forsyth County.
Cleland filled a seat vacated by Judge George A. Bedsworth who retired.
In November 2022, Cleland ran unopposed and was elected to a four-year term as a district court judge.
Cleland’s seat is up for election in November 2026.
District court judges serve four-year terms and hear misdemeanor criminal cases and civil cases involving less than $25,000. They also preside over divorce, custody and child-support cases.
Cleland’s annual salary was $162,620, the AOC said.
Cleland had worked as a solo practitioner since 2002, practicing law since 1990 in Forsyth County, according to his biography.
Cleland graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Wake Forest University and received a law degree from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Law.
Cleland was the president of the Forsyth County Bar Association.
jhinton@wsjournal.com
336-727-7299
@jhintonWSJ
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