Politics

Stein appoints Athena Brooks to District 42 Superior Court seat

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 22, 2026

Gov. Josh Stein on Tuesday announced the appointment of Athena Fox Brooks to the Superior Court seat that became vacant upon the retirement of Peter Knight, who was chief resident Superior Court judge for the district made up of Henderson, Polk, and Transylvania counties.

“Judge Brooks’ extensive legal experience and dedication to serving her community have made her well prepared for this appointment,” Stein said in a news release. "I look forward to her service on the bench.”

Brooks has been a managing attorney at the Hendersonville law firm Carr, Blackwell and Associates and has served on the state Board of Law Examiners since 2023. Brooks was chief District Court judge in District 42 until 2018, when Gov. Roy Cooper appointed her to the bench as Special Superior Court judge. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.

Brooks is expected to serve in the Superior Court judgeship until early December, when the winner of an election for the seat would be sworn in. Last month, a committee of Republican Party leaders from Henderson, Polk, and Transylvania counties chose District Court Judge Gene Johnson as the GOP nominee for the seat; Democratic Party leaders have not yet announced their party's nominee.