Governor McCrory Announces Appointments to the State Ethics Commission | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Raleigh, NC     The Office of Governor Pat McCrory announced the following appointments to the State Ethics Commission today:

   •  Judge John M. Tyson (Cumberland County) - Judge Tyson has been appointed to serve as chairman of the commission. He is a current member having been appointed by the speaker of the House in 2012. He served as a statewide elected judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and continued to serve as a recall judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and as an emergency superior court judge. Tyson earned his LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law and J.D. from Campbell University School of Law, among other degrees.

   •  Judge Ralph Walker (Wake County)  -  Walker is the former director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts. Judge Walker received his B.B.A. degree from Wake Forest University and his L.L.B. and J.D. degree from Wake Forest School of Law. A former trial lawyer, prosecutor, and county attorney, Walker served as a Guilford County superior court judge. Also, he has served as a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and as chair of the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission.

   •  William P. F arthing Jr. (Mecklenburg County) - Farthing was the first full-time managing partner for the business law firm Parker Poe. He has served on the firm's board of directors for more than 20 years and was the firm's CEO and chairman of the board for 10 years. He established the firm's regulatory department, which includes the firm's employment & benefits, environmental and government and public policy practices. He is the university attorney for Johnson C. Smith University.

    The duties of the commission are to establish ethical standards for certain public officials, state employees and appointees to nonadvisory state boards and commissions; to require public disclosure of economic interests by certain persons in the executive, legislative and judicial branches; to amend the lobbying laws; and to make conforming changes.


    Contact: Crystal Feldman
      govpress@nc.gov