“My heart and passion are in the courtroom. It’s where I feel as though I touch the families and the lives of individuals the most,” said Judge Ashleigh Parker, 10th District Court judge in Wake County who also serves as the lead child support judge.
“I have my two biological children (Isaiah, 3, and Isaac, 9) and 400 other children who are also my responsibility. I want every child to have the same opportunities as my children,” said Parker, who is one of two abuse, neglect, and dependency judges in Wake County.
“I take all that into consideration when supporting the families who have been through severe traumatic instances in their own lives as parents that are now affecting their children. The goal is to give these parents the tools they need so they can build a safe and healthy home for their children.”
Fairness and Equality
A native of Hickory, NC, Parker’s original plan was to become a doctor. By her junior year at Wake Forest University, she was disillusioned with pre-med classes. “I feel like God said to me, ‘Ashleigh, there’s three things you know about yourself. You like to talk, you like to argue, and you like to help people.”
Her takeaway was that she needed to follow her father, Jason Parker, into the practice of law.
Parker attended North Carolina Central University School of Law, where her father also earned his Juris Doctor. He became a prosecutor in Wake County and then in Catawba County, where he was the first Black prosecutor in Western NC.
“Having the opportunity to see him in court when school was out was where I saw how he represented fairness and equity across the board despite his own experience with racial dynamics,” said Parker. There was a particular judge who would not allow him to prosecute white defendants because he was black.
After earning her law degree, Parker again traced her father’s steps by joining the Wake County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant DA. She later became an assistant attorney general in the NC Department of Justice and was appointed district court judge in 2017 by Governor Roy Cooper.
Her role includes serving as an abuse, neglect, and dependency judge. Parker sees a steady flow of children and parents who come through her courtroom because of abuse, custody, or other domestic issues.
“I think the biggest hurdle we have right now is that we’re dealing with a mental health crisis. There are not enough resources for children who need therapists or specific types of therapists. I want to make sure every child can get the necessary therapeutic help so that they don’t experience the same issues their parents have. I’m a true advocate of breaking generational curses and the way we do that is through therapy and help.”
Parker said she has personally experienced the value of therapy and support as a now-divorced mother of two children.
Pro Se Support
When Wake County residents have family law matters and housing disputes but can’t afford a lawyer, they may handle their cases on a pro se basis. In January 2023, Parker co-founded the Wake County Legal Support Center in the Wake County Courthouse in downtown Raleigh. Residents can research how to prepare and present their cases. The center has served 12,000 people in two years. It is a model for similar centers in counties statewide.
Youth Law Day
Every fall, minority middle school and high school students in Wake County get an up close and personal view of the justice system during the Capital City Lawyer Association’s Law Day.
Since 2014, over 1,500 students have had the opportunity to take part in a mock trial, and meet and talk with minority members of the law enforcement community and attorneys. They also tour a local jail to see what life behind bars looks like.
“This event was created to expose underprivileged youths to the court system. We want to show them the positive aspects of the legal system and the different roles they can play in bettering the system, while also showing them how one bad decision can lead to unexpected consequences such as jail.”
Where’s Ashleigh
If you go to a Wake County legal event and don’t see Parker, it’s only because you are not looking hard enough. There was Parker, president of the Wake Bar Association and 10th Judicial District Bar, speaking at a WCBA lunch, the keynote speaker at the Friends of Wake County Guardian Ad Litem Gala, partying at the WCBA Holiday Party, eating a plate of hot wings for a Legal Aid of NC fundraiser, and at the CCLA’s Black Lawyer’s Scholarship Gala.
“I want people to see that I’m genuine and care about these families and these communities. My hope is to change the perception of the justice system. I want people to know the judges are just people and humans and that we’re not perfect, but we strive to help and not to hurt,” said Parker.
“The way that you do that is through being active in the community and through being present and doing more than just going on the bench every day and going back home. I believe that you really need to be out in the community. The people are not only the ones that elect you, but they are the community we are serving.”
