N.C. Superior Court judge to double as tribal court justice
Bradley Letts will have to keep his day job, but the Superior Court Judge will soon begin serving as a temporary judge for the Cherokee Supreme Court.
“I think I can bring an expertise which coupled with my devotion and love for the tribe will make me a good candidate,” said Letts, an enrolled Cherokee member who grew up in the Painttown community.
Before moving to the state court system, for which he has worked for 15 years, Letts served as the tribe’s attorney general from 1997-1999.
“At the appropriate time in my career, if the tribe is willing, I would like to come back and work [for the tribe] full-time,” Letts told Tribal Council in April. “This is a good way to begin this process.”
Principal Chief Michell Hicks recommended Letts as a temporary judge for the tribal court along with James Baker, a Madison County resident retired from 16 years as a state superior court judge, and Bob Hunter, a McDowell County resident retired from 16 years on the N.C. Court of Appeals. The judges would help hear cases in Cherokee when the tribal court’s staff of judges is stretched too thin.
“We think we found three very good candidates,” Hicks said. “They bring a lot of experience dealing with the tribe directly.”
Council unanimously approved the recommendations.
