Valerie Zachary
NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE SEAT 14
Judge Zachary received her Juris Doctor cum laude from the Harvard Law School in 1987. In 1984, Judge Zachary graduated from Michigan State University, obtaining her Bachelor of Arts with honors in Multidisciplinary Studies, with concentrations in French, Economics, and Political Science.
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Meet Valerie
Judge Valerie J. Zachary hails from Yadkin County and is married to former Representative Lee Zachary. They have three adult daughters and two beautiful grandchildren. Judge Zachary has long been an active, contributing member of her local Yadkin County community and the United Methodist Church, serving in many capacities.
Judge Zachary received her Juris Doctor cum laude from the Harvard Law School in 1987. In 1984, Judge Zachary graduated from Michigan State University, obtaining her Bachelor of Arts with honors in Multidisciplinary Studies, with concentrations in French, Economics, and Political Science.
While at Harvard Law School, Judge Zachary was employed as a research assistant by Professor Laurence H. Tribe, assisting in reviewing and revising the second edition of Professor Tribe’s treatise American Constitutional Law. She also critiqued briefs for the Ames Moot Court Competition and served as a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and the Women’s Law Association.
Upon graduating from law school in 1987, Judge Zachary joined the litigation team of the Charlotte firm Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman (now K & L Gates). In 1989, Judge Zachary returned to Yadkin County to marry her husband, Lee Zachary, and to join his general practice firm.
Judge Zachary practiced law for 26 years at Zachary Law Offices in Yadkinville, where she was a partner. In 2015, Governor Pat McCrory appointed Judge Zachary to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Following a statewide race, North Carolina voters elected Judge Zachary to an eight-year term in 2016. During her time on the court, Judge Zachary has proven to be a conservative judge committed to upholding North Carolina’s Constitution.
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