Judge S. Katherine Burnette: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. S. Katherine Burnette is a judge for the 9th Judicial District Court of North Carolina. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Roy Cooper on October 10, 2018, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Hon. Carolyn J. Thompson.

The 9th Judicial District encompasses Franklin County, Granville County, Vance County, and Person County.

Prior to her appointment, Burnette was an assistant United States attorney with the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, a position to which she was named in 2007. During her tenure there, she held assignments in the Violent Crimes Division and the Financial Litigation Section of the Civil Division.

Burnette earned a bachelor’s degree in English and politics from Wake Forest University in 1981. She then completed a J.D. at Wake Forest University School of Law in 1984. She has also received an M.F.A. in creative writing from Queens University in Charlotte (2019).

After graduating from law school, Burnette began her legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Eugene H. Phillips of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She then entered into private practice before becoming an assistant district attorney in the 9th Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Office (2002 to 2007).

Her memberships have included the North Carolina Board of Elections, the North Carolina Board of Ethics, the North Carolina State Personnel Commission, and the Granville County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. She has also been involved with the Granville Little Theatre, the Pickwick Papers Book Club, and St. Stephens Episcopal Church.