The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has appointed Ashley Austin Edwards as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of North Carolina, with a duty station in Charlotte. Judge Edwards took the oath of office on September 16, 2024, and her investiture ceremony will take place on November 22, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Judge Edwards is a cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University (B.A., 2005) and a graduate of Emory University School of Law (J.D., 2009). Judge Edwards joined the court from 2009 to 2010 as a term law clerk for Judge J. Craig Whitley (ret.). Judge Edwards practiced with Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP for the past 14 years and received a number of honors and awards related to her bankruptcy work. She was named an American Bankruptcy Institute “40 Under 40” honoree in 2019 and has been recognized by her peers with rankings in Chambers USA, Business North Carolina Legal Elite, and The Best Lawyers in America. Judge Edwards also was named as one of the 40 Under 40 Business Leaders in 2022 by the Charlotte Business Journal. Judge Edwards will fill the vacancy that occurred when Judge Whitley retired on June 26, 2024.

Please join Judge Beyer, Judge Hodges, Judge Whitley, Chris Winchester, Clerk of Court, and her staff in congratulating Judge Edwards.