The Hon. Thomas McAvoy Brittain, Jr. (Ret.) was a judge for the 29B Judicial District Court of North Carolina. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Mike Easley in 2007, filling the vacancy created by the elevation of the Hon. Mark E. Powell to the Superior Court. Brittain retired in 2022.
The 29B Judicial District includes Henderson, Polk, and Transylvania Counties. He was appointed to serve as Chief District Court judge by Chief Justice Mark Martin in 2018.
Prior to his appointment, Brittain was a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Office since 2000. Before that, he was a staff attorney for the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Office (1990 to 1994), and a private practice attorney (1987 to 1990).
Brittain was also a former sheriff’s deputy.
He received a B.A. in political science from Clemson University in 1984. Brittain then completed a J.D. at Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, in 1987.