David Maxwell Britt (January 3, 1917 – May 5, 2009) was a North Carolina politician and jurist who served as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, as one of the original judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and finally as a justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. He retired from the bench in 1982.
Born in McDonald, North Carolina, he was the brother of federal judge W. Earl Britt. Britt studied law at Wake Forest University and then passed the bar exam, even though he left law school a few classes short of graduation.
Britt represented Robeson County in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1958 until 1967, when Gov. Dan K. Moore appointed him to the new Court of Appeals. As a legislator, Britt helped reform the state's judicial system, including creating the state Court of Appeals and state District Courts.
Britt was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1978, succeeding I. Beverly Lake, Sr., and served through 1982. He then joined the Raleigh law firm of Bailey & Dixon.
References
- Burley Mitchell (1996-04-22). "Presentation of Britt's Portrait to Supreme Court". Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- ^ Ovaska, Sarah (2009-05-07). "Britt, shaped N.C.'s court system; dies at 92". The News & Observer.
- Staff (2009-05-07). "Robeson native David M. Britt, 92, dies". The Fayetteville Observer. Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- Bailey & Dixon: Lawyers Emeritus
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- 1917 births
- 2009 deaths
- People from Robeson County, North Carolina
- Wake Forest University alumni
- Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- North Carolina Court of Appeals judges
- Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court
- Speakers of the North Carolina House of Representatives
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- 20th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly
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