1. People’s
Alliance
PAC
2014
Questionnaire
Name:
Lucy
Noble
Inman
Residence
address:
2627
Dover
Road,
Raleigh,
NC
27608
Cell-­‐phone
number:
919-­‐592-­‐9987
email:
lucy@judgelucyinman.com
1) Where
were
you
born
and
where
have
you
lived?
I
was
born
in
Indianapolis,
Indiana,
where
my
father
was
working
as
a
newspaper
reporter
for
the
Indianapolis
Star.
Before
I
was
a
year
old,
my
family
returned
to
Raleigh,
where
my
parents
had
first
met
and
worked
at
the
News
&
Observer.
I
grew
up
in
Raleigh,
attended
public
schools,
and
after
graduating
from
Sanderson
High
School,
I
earned
a
Bachelor
of
Arts
degree
at
N.C.
State
University.
During
college
I
lived
in
Knightdale,
a
small
town
east
of
Raleigh,
in
a
small
house
that
had
originally
been
a
“cash
grocery”
store.
After
graduating
from
college,
I
lived
in
downtown
Raleigh
and
worked
as
a
newspaper
reporter
for
a
few
years.
In
1987
I
moved
to
Orange
County,
in
the
country
between
Chapel
Hill
and
Pittsboro,
while
attending
law
school
at
UNC-­‐Chapel
Hill.
I
lived
in
a
house
built
by
the
Army
Corp
of
Engineers
during
the
construction
of
Jordan
Lake.
In
1990
I
moved
back
to
Raleigh,
to
the
same
downtown
apartment
building
where
I
had
lived
before,
just
a
block
from
my
work
as
a
law
clerk
for
North
Carolina
Supreme
Court
Chief
Justice
James
G.
Exum,
Jr.
I
expected
to
be
in
Raleigh
for
the
rest
of
my
life,
because
I
had
worked
with
lawyers
in
Raleigh
whom
I
planned
to
practice
with
after
clerking.
But
then
I
met
my
future
husband,
a
newspaper
reporter
named
Billy
Warden,
who
planned
to
go
to
film
school.
We
moved
to
Los
Angeles
in
1992
and
lived
there
for
eight
years.
It
was
an
exciting
but
stressful
life,
and
when
we
had
a
two-­‐year-­‐old
and
a
second
child
on
the
way,
I
asked
to
return
to
Raleigh,
and
my
husband
generously
agreed.
We
have
been
back
in
Raleigh
since
2000.
2) Are
you
conservative
or
liberal?
My
first
inclination
is
to
answer
this
question
with
a
simple
“No.”
My
moral,
social,
and
political
views
are
not
one
dimensional.
To
provide
a
more
substantive
response,
I
will
try
the
following:
I
am
sworn
to
uphold
the
state
and
federal
constitutions,
including
provisions
requiring
separate
and
co-­‐equal
branches
of
government.
I
do
not
believe
the
power
of
judicial
review
includes
substituting
my
moral
judgment
for
the
judgment
of
a
jury,
lower
court,
or
separate
branch
of
government
not
inconsistent
with
the
state
or
federal
constitution.
I
do
not
strictly
construe
the
bill
of
rights
to
apply
only
to
white
males,
even
though
females
and
people
of
color
had
no
rights
at
the
time
the
bill
of
rights
was
framed.
I
acknowledge
long
established
precedent
holding
that
some
fundamental
rights
and
some
remedies
provided
by
statute
shall
be
liberally
construed.

2. 2
3) Please
describe
how
your
religious
and
philosophical
beliefs
may
affect
your
conduct
and
decision
making
if
elected.
My
religious
and
philosophical
beliefs
affect
my
conduct
every
day,
because
those
beliefs
include
responsibilities
of
honesty,
respect
for
others,
compassion,
and
humility.
I
strive
to
bring
those
qualities
to
my
work
at
all
times,
and
if
elected
I
will
bring
those
qualities
to
the
Court
of
Appeals.
I
was
christened
in
the
Episcopal
church,
married
in
the
Catholic
church,
and
my
children
have
been
christened
in
the
Catholic
church.
I
am
a
person
of
faith,
but
I
do
not
impose
that
faith
in
my
work
as
a
trial
court
judge
and
I
will
not
impose
that
faith
on
the
Court
of
Appeals.
The
first
amendment
to
the
United
States
Constitution
mandates
separation
of
church
and
state.
While
my
faith
is
important
to
me,
I
do
not
advertise
it
as
part
of
my
qualifications
for
election
because
all
citizens
before
the
courts
–
no
matter
their
religious
views
or
lack
thereof
–
are
entitled
to
equal
treatment
under
the
law.
4) Please
list
the
organizations
(educational,
social,
charitable,
cultural,
political,
religious,
etc.)
you
have
joined
or
supported.
If
you
have
held
an
office
in
any
of
these
organizations,
please
describe.
Various
school
PTAs
on
and
off
over
the
past
13
years,
most
recently
at
Ligon
Middle
School
in
Raleigh,
where
my
daughter
is
a
student.
I
served
as
chair
of
the
Reflections
art
and
literature
contest
for
Ligon
last
year.
North
Carolina
Bar
Association,
member
since
approximately
2000.
I
currently
serve
on
the
Section
Council
for
the
Constitutional
Rights
and
Responsibilities
Section,
the
Bench-­‐Bar
Liaison
Committee,
and
the
BarCares
board
of
directors,
and
I
previously
served
on
the
Section
Council
for
the
Litigation
Section.
Wake
County
Bar
Association,
member
since
approximately
2000.
I
currently
serve
on
the
Memorials
Committee.
I
have
previously
served
on
the
board
of
directors,
the
External
Communication
Committee,
and
the
Diversity
Committee.
North
Carolina
Association
of
Women
Attorneys
and
Wake
Women
Attorneys.
I
have
been
a
member
off
and
on
for
the
past
decade.
I
have
not
served
in
any
leadership
capacity
with
these
organizations.
Friends
of
the
Gregg
Museum
of
Art
and
Design
at
N.C.
State
University.
I
have
been
a
board
member
since
2010.
Disability
Rights
NC,
previously
Carolina
Legal
Assistance.
I
served
as
a
member
of
the
board
of
directors
from
2003
until
I
became
a
judge
in
2010.
This
is
a
protection
and
advocacy
agency
for
persons
with
disabilities.
Lucy
Daniels
Foundation.
I
am
a
founding
member
of
the
board
and
have
served
on
it
continuously
since
1990.
LDF
has
provided
research,
funds
for
treatment,
and
educational
programming
promoting
the
connections
between
psychoanalysis
and
creativity.
North
Carolinians
Against
Gun
Violence.
I
served
on
the
board
of
this
organization
in
2001
and
2002.

3. 3
Sacred
Heart
Cathedral
in
Raleigh.
I
have
been
a
member
of
the
congregation
at
Sacred
Heart
since
2000.
5) If
you
have
had
an
occupation
other
than
law,
please
describe
the
occupation
and
the
work
you
performed.
Who
were
your
employers?
Between
graduating
from
college
in
1984
and
beginning
law
school
in
1987,
I
worked
as
a
reporter
for
The
Raleigh
Times
newspaper
in
Raleigh.
I
wrote
feature
articles,
often
about
music,
and
covered
crimes,
emergencies,
and
courts.
(During
college
I
had
worked
at
the
Technician
and
as
an
intern
at
The
Cary
News
and
The
Raleigh
Times.
My
mother’s
family
owned
The
Raleigh
Times
and
it
was
suggested
that
I
should
first
work
full
time
for
one
of
the
family’s
smaller
newspapers.
My
response
to
that
suggestion
was
to
get
hired
at
The
Greensboro
News
&
Record,
but
before
my
two-­‐weeks’
notice
had
expired,
The
Raleigh
Times
asked
me
to
work
there.)
I
became
well
known
for
articles
about
criminal
and
civil
trials
and
the
circumstances
and
people
behind
the
legal
disputes.
During
law
school,
I
worked
as
a
part-­‐time
reporter
for
The
News
&
Observer.
6) Have
you
ever
been
convicted
of
a
criminal
offense
other
than
a
minor
traffic
offense
(such
as
speeding)?
No.
7) Have
you
personally
ever
been
the
plaintiff
or
defendant
in
a
lawsuit?
Yes.
When
I
was
a
young
lawyer
practicing
with
a
firm
in
Los
Angeles,
a
defendant
in
a
civil
suit
filed
a
claim
against
me
and
other
lawyers
working
on
the
case.
The
lawsuit
claimed
that
I
and
other
lawyers
sought
prohibited
information
and
acted
in
an
abuse
of
process.
The
lawsuit
was
settled
shortly
thereafter
by
my
firm,
without
my
participation,
with
no
finding
of
liability
by
me
or
any
other
lawyer
in
the
firm.
8) Please
describe
your
practice
as
a
lawyer.
My
first
practice
as
a
lawyer
was
in
civil
litigation
in
Los
Angeles
and
Beverly
Hills,
California.
I
represented
clients
primarily
in
commercial
disputes.
I
represented
Warner
Bros.
in
matters
ranging
from
defending
libel
claims
to
asserting
claims
against
Sony
Pictures
for
the
rights
to
broadcast
motion
pictures
on
cable
television.
I
along
with
other
lawyers
represented
Cheech
Marin
in
an
exclusive
services
contract
dispute,
which
was
the
closest
I
came
to
any
civil
rights
litigation.
Mr.
Marin
had
agreed
to
act
in
a
leading
role
in
a
television
series
called
“Hacienda
Heights,”
about
a
culture
clash
when
Hispanic
and
Jewish
family
members
lived
together.
The
original
script
cast
Mr.
Marin
as
a
widowed
retired
rancher,
whose
son
was
a
university
professor,
both
good
role
models
from
the
client’s
point
of
view.
Focus
groups
determined
that
the
program
would
draw
a
bigger
audience
if
Mr.
Marin
were
re-­‐cast
as
a
laid
off
aerospace
mechanic,
kicked
out
by
his
wife
for
cheating,
who
turned
to
freeloading
off
of
his
son
and
daughter-­‐in-­‐law,
smoking
pot
and
passing
gas
all
the
time
from
eating
Mexican
food.
Mr.
Marin
refused

4. 4
to
go
forward
with
the
project,
and
we
successfully
argued
that
the
subject
matter
of
the
contract
had
changed
so
drastically
as
to
render
it
unenforceable.
I
along
with
other
lawyers
defended
the
Ritz-­‐Carlton
Hotel
Company
against
claims
for
breach
of
contract
and
fraud
brought
by
owners
of
hotels
in
California,
Colorado,
New
York,
and
Georgia.
I
represented
various
real
estate
developers
in
disputes
regarding
defective
construction,
environmental
hazards,
and
partnership
disputes.
I
represented
a
girl,
whose
father
had
mysteriously
disappeared,
in
seeking
financial
support
from
his
second
wife.
I
successfully
defended
the
actor
Carroll
O’Connor
at
trial
in
a
lawsuit
brought
against
him
for
defamation
and
infliction
of
emotional
distress.
The
lawsuit
was
brought
by
a
drug
dealer
whom
Mr.
O’Connor
had
called
out
by
name
on
national
television,
referred
to
as
a
“partner
in
murder,”
and
had
said
should
be
wiped
off
the
face
of
the
earth
after
Mr.
O’Connor’s
son,
a
cocaine
addict,
committed
suicide.
I
represented
individuals
and
businesses
in
disputes
ranging
from
claims
of
sexual
harassment
to
guild
arbitrations
regarding
artistic
licensing
and
credits.
After
practicing
law
for
eight
years
in
California,
and
expecting
my
second
child,
I
called
in
my
chip
on
a
promise
from
my
husband
that
I
could
decide
where
we
would
live
next.
He
generously
agreed
to
leave
his
job
as
a
television
producer
and
return
to
Raleigh,
where
most
of
our
parents
live.
With
a
two-­‐
year-­‐old
and
a
baby
on
the
way,
I
needed
a
far
more
flexible
and
limited
schedule
than
the
typical
law
practice
allows.
An
attorney
with
whom
I
had
worked
in
Raleigh
during
law
school,
Elizabeth
Kuniholm,
invited
me
to
join
her
on
terms
that
could
accommodate
my
personal
life.
Her
practice
was
exclusively
civil
litigation
on
behalf
of
plaintiffs
in
wrongful
death,
catastrophic
injury,
and
sexual
abuse
cases.
Our
clients
were
from
various
walks
of
life
but
generally
not
experienced
with
the
courts.
We
concentrated
our
work
in
medical
negligence
cases
and
sexual
abuse
cases,
often
in
the
context
of
medical
care.
In
2005,
I
was
asked
to
help
represent
North
Carolina
death
row
inmates
challenging
the
lethal
injection
protocol
for
executions.
Liz
Kuniholm
and
I
took
that
work
on
and
succeeded
in
halting
executions
during
trial
and
appellate
review
of
the
protocol
and
its
implementation
by
the
North
Carolina
Department
of
Correction.
After
health
problems
forced
Liz
Kuniholm
to
limit
her
practice,
I
worked
with
other
lawyers
in
Raleigh
doing
plaintiffs’
civil
litigation
including
medical
negligence
and
toxic
tort
class
action
cases.
I
also
continued
the
lethal
injection
litigation
until
I
was
appointed
to
my
current
position
as
a
superior
court
judge.
9) If
you
have
been
a
member
of
an
appellate
division
court….
I
am
not
a
member
of
an
appellate
division
court.

5. 5
10) If
you
have
not
been
a
member
of
an
appellate
division
court….
I
was
co-­‐counsel,
but
not
lead
counsel,
in
Iadanza
v.
Harper,
611
S.E.2d
217
(2005),
and
prevailed
in
our
argument
to
the
North
Carolina
Court
of
Appeals
that
general
compensatory
damages
can
include
mental
suffering
even
without
a
medical
diagnosis
of
a
psychiatric
condition.
I
also
represented
clients
on
brief
in
the
California
Court
of
Appeal
and
Supreme
Court
(no
oral
arguments
were
allowed),
with
mixed
results,
and
I
do
not
have
copies
of
those
decisions,
which
did
not
address
the
merits
of
those
cases.
My
decisions
as
a
trial
judge
have
been
affirmed
by
appellate
courts
in
the
cases
including
the
following:
State
v.
Hargis
(2011)
(unpublished,
denying
motion
to
suppress
in
DWI
case);
Hamilton
v.
Mtg.
Info.
Services
(2012)
(unpublished,
denying
defendants’
motion
to
compel
arbitration
in
consumer
class
action);
State
v.
Miller,
(2013)
(unpublished,
jury
instruction
in
rape
case).
My
decision
as
a
trial
judge
was
reversed
by
a
divided
panel
of
the
Court
of
Appeals,
and
then
not
affirmed
because
the
Supreme
Court
was
evenly
divided
with
one
justice
abstaining,
in
Baysden
v.
State,
718
S.E.2d
699
(2011),
appeal
dismissed,
720
S.E.2d
390
(2012)
(second
amendment
claim
by
a
convicted
felon
seeking
a
firearm
permit).
I
attach
copies
of
my
written
decision
in
the
Baysden
case,
as
well
as
in
two
other
cases,
Brown
v.
DENR
and
State
v.
Helff,
involving
constitutional
issues.
These
decisions
demonstrate
my
dedication
to
thorough
analysis,
consideration
of
the
facts
in
each
case,
and
common
sense
application
of
established
legal
principles.
It
is
my
duty
to
provide
sufficient
findings
of
fact,
where
appropriate,
and
legal
analysis
to
explain
why
the
court
has
reached
its
decision.
The
willingness
and
ability
to
explain
decisions
is,
in
my
view,
the
foundation
of
fairness
and
respect
to
the
parties
and
transparency
to
foster
public
confidence
in
the
courts.
11) Please
describe
the
extent
of
any
pro
bono
work
you
have
done.
I
have
provided
pro
bono
legal
services
in
many
matters
throughout
my
career.
Most
of
those
cases
never
made
it
to
court
and
include
investigations,
legal
research,
meetings
with
clients,
and
facilitating
meetings
between
clients
and
third
parties
to
help
resolve
their
problems.
I
represented
a
woman
who,
during
inpatient
treatment
at
a
psychiatric
hospital,
was
sexually
assaulted
by
an
orderly
working
in
her
unit.
The
orderly
was
criminally
prosecuted,
but
because
of
various
circumstances,
bringing
a
civil
case
on
behalf
of
the
woman
was
not
feasible.
While
the
criminal
trial
was
pending,
the
defendant’s
attorney
served
a
subpoena
for
my
client’s
academic
records
and
sent
an
investigator
to
interview
her
without
allowing
her
the
opportunity
to
have
counsel
present.
I
obtained
a
protective
order
shielding
her
from
further
contact
without
representation
and
giving
her
some
assurance
that
the
defendant
would
not
be
able
to
contact
her.
She
was
a
person
with
no

6. 6
financial
resources
and
with
marginal
credibility.
The
civil
law
ultimately
provided
no
relief
for
her,
but
it
was
important
that
she
be
adequately
represented
in
the
process
that
affected
her
as
a
witness.
My
work
challenging
North
Carolina’s
lethal
injection
protocol
was
not
entirely
pro
bono
–
after
a
few
months
I
was
appointed
counsel
and
compensated
at
the
court-­‐appointed
counsel
rate
–
but
it
was
hardly
lucrative.
That
work
was
important
to
me
because
for
everyone
involved
in
an
execution
–
the
condemned
prisoner,
victims,
the
State,
and
the
public
–
it
is
imperative
that
the
process
comply
with
constitutional
standards.
It
was
my
position
that
the
protocol
in
place
at
that
time
did
not
meet
such
standards.
Notably,
in
the
summer
of
2013,
the
North
Carolina
General
Assembly
passed
a
statute
revising
the
protocol
in
a
manner
that
addresses
some
of
the
challenges
raised
in
the
litigation.
12) What
are
your
views
on
the
death
penalty
and
the
way
death
penalty
cases
are
handled
in
North
Carolina?
As
a
matter
of
the
administration
of
justice,
what
should
the
courts
and
legislature
do
about
the
death
penalty?
In
my
view,
the
Code
of
Judicial
Conduct
prohibits
me,
as
a
judge,
from
answering
this
question
other
than
to
say
that
the
legislature
and
the
courts
are
bound
by
the
United
States
Constitution
and
the
North
Carolina
Constitution.
13) Do
you
perceive
any
racial
discrimination
in
the
criminal
justice
system?
Racial
discrimination
is
a
legal
term
of
art
and
in
my
view
the
Code
of
Judicial
Conduct
prohibits
me
from
answering
this
question
other
than
to
say
that
the
courts
are
bound
by
the
United
States
and
North
Carolina
Constitutions.
14) What
are
your
views
on
the
rights
(including
whether
any
such
rights
exist)
of
homosexual
persons
to
marry?
Did
you
vote
for
or
against
Amendment
One?
The
answer
to
the
first
question
is
the
subject
of
litigation
across
the
United
States
and
will
likely
come
before
the
courts
in
North
Carolina.
If
I
were
to
answer
this
question,
I
would
violate
the
Code
of
Judicial
Conduct
and
likely
preclude
myself
from
being
able
to
decide
such
a
case.
The
second
question,
in
my
view,
would
require
me
to
express
my
opinion
on
a
matter
which
could
and
likely
will
come
before
the
courts,
and
I
will
not
answer
it.
15) In
your
view,
should
citizens
be
required
to
provide
elections
officials
with
some
form
of
official
identification
before
they
are
allowed
to
vote?
This
question
raises
a
constitutional
issue
that
may
come
before
me
as
a
superior
court
judge
or,
if
I
am
elected,
as
a
Court
of
Appeals
judge,
and
as
such,
it
would
be
inappropriate
for
me
to
express
my
view.

7. 7
16) Has
the
federal
Voting
Rights
Act
run
its
course
in
North
Carolina?
Please
explain
your
answer.
Although
the
United
States
Supreme
Court
has
recently
limited
the
application
of
Section
5
of
the
Voting
Rights
Act,
litigation
regarding
whether
North
Carolina
legislation
violates
other
portions
of
the
Act,
such
as
Section
2,
is
currently
pending.
Every
legal
dispute
presents
its
own
facts,
evidence,
and
theories
advanced,
so
it
is
impossible
to
conclude
that
any
federal
or
state
statute,
unless
it
is
repealed
in
its
entirety,
has
“run
its
course.”
17) In
its
recent
decision
in
Koontz
v.
St.
Johns
River
Water
Management
District,
did
the
United
States
Supreme
Court
signal
a
change
in
its
approach
to
zoning
and
land
use
regulation?
Please
explain
your
answer.
The
Supreme
Court
in
Koontz
held
that
that
a
real
property
owner
who
was
denied
a
permit
after
failed
negotiations
with
a
local
government
could
be
entitled
to
compensation
under
the
takings
clause
of
the
Fifth
Amendment,
even
though
the
local
government
had
demanded
money,
rather
than
land,
as
a
condition
for
issuance
of
the
permit.
This
holding
is
viewed
by
some
scholars
–
and
by
dissenting
Supreme
Court
Justices
–
as
a
departure
from
prior
Supreme
Court
decisions
which
distinguished
between
takings
of
specific
property
–
real
property,
or
identifiable
funds
or
accounts,
on
the
one
hand,
and
taxes
and
use
fees
not
drawn
from
a
specific
fund,
on
the
other.
The
majority
in
Koontz
explained
that
because
the
local
government’s
demand
for
fees
was
connected
to
a
specific
tract
of
property,
in
the
absence
of
a
nexus
and
rough
proporationality
to
the
impact
of
the
proposed
land
use,
the
demand
could
constitute
a
Fifth
Amendment
taking
that
entitled
the
property
owner
to
compensation.
The
dissent
in
Koontz
noted
that
the
majority
decision
marked
the
first
time
the
Supreme
Court
recognized
a
taking
when
negotiations
for
a
permit
failed
–
that
is,
the
dissent
argued,
no
taking
occurred
because
the
property
owner
would
not
comply
with
the
government
demand.
The
dissent
also
forecast
great
confusion
and
insurmountable
challenges
for
local
governments
seeking
to
control
land
use
and
noted
that
a
local
government
denying
a
permit
with
no
explanation
at
all
would
be
subject
to
a
lower
level
of
scrutiny
than
a
government
which
sought
to
negotiate
specific
accommodations
to
resolve
a
land
use
dispute.
The
majority
decision
in
Koontz
left
several
disputed
issues
undecided.
Issues
regarding
the
respective
rights
and
responsibilities
of
private
property
owners
and
local
governments
will
be
resolved
in
future
decisions
in
various
state
and
federal
courts,
and
as
I
am
bound
by
the
Code
of
Judicial
Conduct,
I
will
express
no
view
concerning
how
those
issues
should
be
decided.
18) In
your
view,
should
states
agencies
with
licensing,
environmental
protection,
consumer
protection,
or
similar
functions
make
the
final
decisions
in
enforcement
or
other
contested
cases
or
should
the
final
decision
in
such
matters
be
made
by
administrative
law
judges?
What
should
North
Carolina’s
law
and
policy
be
with
regard
to
the
deference
courts
afford
regulatory
agencies?
What
should
our
state’s
law
and
policy
be
with
regard
to
who
is
an
“aggrieved
person”
in
cases
[of]
environmental
law
violations?

8. 8
As
an
attorney,
I
argued
these
issues
on
behalf
of
clients
asserting
that
they
were
“aggrieved
persons.”
As
a
judge,
I
have
decided
similar
issues.
North
Carolina’s
law
regarding
deference
by
the
judicial
branch
government
to
regulatory
agencies,
part
of
the
executive
branch
of
government,
is
embodied
in
statute
written
by
the
legislative
branch
and
limited
by
the
separation
of
powers
doctrines
in
the
United
States
Constitution
and
the
North
Carolina
Constitution.
As
I
am
bound
by
the
Code
of
Judicial
Conduct,
I
will
express
no
view
concerning
what
the
law
or
policy
should
be.
19) How
are
you
registered
to
vote?
I
am
registered
as
a
Democrat.
I
have
never
changed
my
party
registration.
20) For
whom
did
you
vote
in
the
2008
and
2012
presidential
and
gubernatorial
elections?
I
hold
sacred
the
right
of
the
secret
ballot
in
a
democracy.
I
will
not
relinquish
that
right
as
a
judicial
candidate,
and
accordingly
I
will
not
answer
this
question.
21) Have
you
ever
been
active
in
the
campaign
of
a
candidate
for
elective
office
(by
active
we
mean
acted
as
campaign
manager,
treasurer,
or
paid
staff,
or
contributed
more
than
$2,000)?
No,
not
as
you
define
“active.”