Retired Superior Court Judge A. Leon Stanback, Jr. Passes

DURHAM, NC – Retired Superior Court Judge and former Durham Co. District Attorney Honorable A. Leon Stanback, Jr. passed on Saturday night (July 20). He was 81.

Since 1968, Judge A. Leon Stanback, Jr. has served North Carolina and the Durham community with distinction as a prosecutor, parole commissioner, private practitioner, and Superior Court Judge. An alumnus of NC Central University, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1965 and Juris Doctorate in 1968 from NC Central University School of Law. After admission to the North Carolina Bar in 1968, Judge Stanback was hired as an associate attorney with Frye & Johnson Attorneys. 

One year later, he became an Assistant District Attorney (ADA) for Guilford County. As an ADA, Judge Stanback prosecuted criminal and civil cases involving the Uniform Enforcement of Child Support Act in North Carolina. Over the next nine years, Judge Stanback was a partner in two law firms: Lee, High, Taylor, Dansby & Stanback Attorneys and Dansby & Stanback Attorneys.

In 1980, Judge Stanback led Stanback & Stanback, P.A., where he managed business affairs and supervised attorneys. In 1985, Judge Stanback expanded his career to serving on the Governor’s Minority Executive Advisory Council. In this role, Judge Stanback advised the Governor of North Carolina on employment, education, and economic development issues. Judge Stanback later became Commissioner of the North Carolina Parole Commission, where he developed programs that helped rehabilitate inmates and made recommendations concerning pardons and commutations.

In 1989, he was appointed to the North Carolina Superior Court for the 14th Judicial District serving Durham County. Stanback presided over various civil and criminal Superior Courts of North Carolina. After leaving the bench, Judge Stanback served as District Attorney for Durham County until 2014 and then started a private practice, Attorney A. Leon Stanback & Associates. He served on the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners. Judge Stanback is a member of numerous legal and professional organizations, including the North Carolina Bar Association and the National Bar Association Judicial Council. He is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Judge Stanback has received numerous awards and honors in his esteemed career, including the Spectacular Magazine Man of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2021, North Carolina Central University School of Law held a dedication ceremony and naming of its Legal Clinic Conference Room in honor of Judge A. Leon Stanback, Jr. 

Judge Stanback is married to Michelle F. Stanback, and they have three daughters: Catherine, Kynita, and Portia, and a granddaughter, Victoria.

Funeral arrangements, handled by Fisher Memorial Funeral Parlor, are currently incomplete.