The Hon. Alan Z. Thornburg is a senior resident judge for the Buncombe County Superior Court in the 28th Judicial District of the 5th Division in North Carolina. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Mike Easley in 2009.
Thornburg initially served as a superior court judge for the 28th Judicial District of the 8th Division of the Superior Court prior to its combining with the 5th Division when the North Carolina General Assembly revised the districts in 2018. He began his judicial career as a judge for the North Carolina Court of Appeals after receiving an appointment in 2004, though his term was brief. Thornburg was unsuccessful in his bid to hold the seat in the subsequent election.
Prior to joining the bench, he worked as a private practice attorney in Asheville (1997 to 2004) and served as an aide to United States Senator Terry Sanford (1997 to 2004).
Following his time on the state’s Court of Appeals, Governor Easley appointed Thornburg to the North Carolina Board of Transportation in 2005.
He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Davidson College in 1989. Thornburg then completed a J.D. at Wake Forest University School of Law in 1996.
He is married and has two children. His father, the Hon. Lacy Thornburg, served as the North Carolina Attorney General, a superior court judge for the 30th Judicial District, and a federal district court judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Thornburg was born in Sylva, North Carolina.
He is registered as a Democrat.
