Martha Geer is former ACLU attorney
By L.A. Williams, Correspondent
Christian Action League
MOUNT OLIVE — N.C. Court of Appeals candidate Dean Poirier has set his sights on Seat 4 because he says the incumbent — former American Civil Liberties Union attorney Martha Geer — is the “most liberal and activist judge of those currently seeking re-election.”
Still, he said there is something he wants voters to understand: “I am not asking them to vote AGAINST Judge Geer; I am asking them to vote FOR me, because they believe that I will bring something unique and valuable to the court.”
A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, Poirier has 13 years experience as an Appeals Referee for the N.C. Employment Security Commission where he has heard more than 10,000 appeals. He is also an adjunct law professor for Liberty University, Kaplan University online, N.C. Wesleyan College and Mount Olive College.
His teaching of some two dozen different law courses has given him a detailed understanding of various areas of law, while his work at ESC has also added to the breadth and depth of his legal knowledge.
“People often don’t understand that the Court of Appeals, in addition to hearing appeals from the district courts and superior courts, also hears appeals from boards, commissions and administrative agencies. Though the present court does a decent job handling appeals from the district courts and superior courts, they have demonstrated significantly less competence in handling other types of appeals,” Poirier said. “As someone who has heard administrative appeals for the last 13 years, I can help address this weakness.”
A self-described “Christian, Constitutional, Conservative,” Poirier said that judges must act with judicial restraint, following the law as it is actually written, not as they might like it to be. And they must act with humility, not arrogance.
A member of Adamsville Baptist Church, he said begin a Christian means that he seeks to bring honor and glory to God in all that he thinks, says and does.
“That means I must act in accord with basic Christian values such as honesty, respect, accountability, fairness, compassion, perseverance and courage,” he said.
Poirier and his wife, DeAnn have four daughters. This is his second bid for the Court of Appeals, having lost in the 2008 primary.
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To find out more about Dean Poirier, log onto www.poirier4justice.com.
