THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 8, 1994 TAG: 9407080592
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HERTFORD LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
There will be praise a-plenty under the old shade trees in front of the Perquimans County Courthouse today when James Carlton Cole is sworn in as a new District Court judge for the Albemarle.
For just about everybody in the expected crowd of dignitaries, it will be a picture-perfect moment in Cole's career as a Perquimans County attorney, a law-enforcement officer, a Democratic wheelhorse and as a nationally recognized black political leader.
``JayCee Cole is a great man and a great North Carolinian and he will be a great judge,'' said state Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, in an impromptu Thursday rehearsal in Raleigh for his scheduled role as principal speaker at Cole's oath-taking at 2 p.m.
The main courtroom in the venerable building isn't large enough to hold the expected crowd, so court officials moved the ceremony to the front lawn and sidewalk outside the 1825 structure.
``I want to be favorably on the record about Judge Cole in case I don't make it to Hertford,'' added Basnight, who is president pro tem of the N.C. Senate. Basnight is locked in a noisy struggle with the state House of Representatives over next year's state budget.
With or without Basnight, Hertford's main street in front of the courthouse is expected to be jammed with well-wishers when Superior Court Judge Richard Parker of Manteo administers the oath to the 45-year-old Cole.
Appropriately, Cole's wife, former District Court Judge Janice McKenzie Cole, will head the cheering section.
``JayCee'' Cole will fill the vacancy on the lower court bench that opened when President Clinton earlier this year named Janice Cole chief U.S. prosecutor for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Two years ago, Janice Cole won a near-landslide election as the first female judge and the first African-American named to the district court bench in the N.C. 1st Judicial District.
Urged by friends - white and black - ``JayCee'' Cole ran this year for the District Court seat. ``JayCee'' easily won the Democratic primary election in May.
In November, Cole will face James A. Beales Jr. of Elizabeth City who is running as a Republican for the judgeship.
Meanwhile, Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. recently appointed Cole to fill Janice Cole's unexpired term and it is for this office that Cole will be sworn in today.
If Cole wins the election in November, he should have his cues down pat for another swearing-in ceremony in December. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Cole
by CNB