The Hon. Joseph M. Buckner (Ret.) served as a judge for the 15B Judicial District Court of North Carolina. Buckner was elected to the bench in 1994. He retired on July 31, 2020.
The 15B Judicial District encompasses Orange County and Chatham County. Over the course of his judicial career, Buckner played an instrumental role in the creation of the first mental health court in North Carolina.
Prior to his election, Buckner was an attorney at Epting & Hackney, where he handled general civil litigation matters.
Buckner earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1982. He then completed a J.D. at the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1987.
His memberships have included the North Carolina District Court Judges Association and the North Carolina Conference of Chief Judges. He has also been involved with the Governor’s Crime Commission.
Born and raised in Siler City, North Carolina, Buckner attended Jordan-Matthews High School. His parents owned and operated a funeral business. His grandfather, June Moody, was the Chief of the Siler City Police Department.