The Honorable Thomas H. Lock

Judge Thomas H. Lock is the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Judicial District 11B (Johnston County). Judge Lock was elected to the Superior Court bench in 2006 and took office on January 1, 2007. Prior to his election, Judge Lock served as the District Attorney for the Eleventh Prosecutorial District (comprised of Johnston, Harnett, and Lee Counties during his service) from 1991 through 2006.

Judge Lock graduated with a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978, and from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1981. Upon graduation from law school, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Eleventh Prosecutorial District from September, 1981 through December, 1983. Judge Lock practiced law in Smithfield, North Carolina from 1984 until 1990.

While District Attorney, Judge Lock served on the executive board of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, and served as President of the Conference in 1997-98. He also served on the Board of Directors of the National District Attorneys Association from 2004 through 2006. In October of 1997, he was recognized by the Raleigh News and Observer as Tar Heel of the Week for his work on behalf of crime victims. He served as President of the Johnston County Bar Association in 2005.

Since his election to the bench, Judge Lock has served on the executive board of the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges, and currently is on the legislative committee of the Conference. He served as chief judge of the three-judge panel in the Innocence Inquiry Commission case of State v. Joseph Sledge.