Judge Elizabeth Thornton Trosch

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District Court Judge, Mecklenburg County District Court, Charlotte, NC              2009-Present

• Presides over Civil and Criminal District Courtrooms with an emphasis on Juvenile Law, Domestic Violence, Drug Treatment Court and Child Support Enforcement
• Experienced in presiding over Criminal Court, Civil Court, Probation Violations, Involuntary Commitments, First Appearance, Traffic Court.
• Lead Domestic Violence Judge for the 26^th Judicial District
• State Certified Juvenile Judge
• Lead Judge, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Presiding Judge, Mecklenburg County Youth Treatment Court (a problem-solving court for youthful offenders suffering from addiction)
• Dependency Judge Certification, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Nationally trained to administer Mecklenburg County’s Drug Treatment Courts by the National Drug Court Institute
• Presiding Judge, Mecklenburg County Truancy Court at West Charlotte High School, 2014-2015 and at McClintock Middle School, 2009-2013 (a partnership between Mecklenburg County District Court and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to remedy root causes of chronic truancy)

 Assistant Public Defender, Public Defender Office, Charlotte, NC                                     2002-2008

• Represented over one thousand indigent defendants in both District and Superior Court
• Tried cases ranging from traffic offenses to felony crimes
• Team member, Mecklenburg County DWI Drug Treatment Court, 2004-2008

Student Attorney, Womble Carlyle, Sandridge, & Rice, Winston-Salem, NC (Civil Clinic)   Fall 2001

• Drafted and argued civil motions and briefs
• Represented clients in deposition

Student Attorney, White & Crumpler, Winston-Salem, NC (Criminal Clinic)

• Researched legal issues on immigration law and legal ethics

 Intern,Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Washington, DC             Summer 2001

• Actively assisted student claimants to preserve their civil rights through researching legal issues, drafting memoranda, and resolving disputes arising from the Americans with Disabilities Act

Judicial Intern, Mecklenburg County District Court, Charlotte, NC   Summer 2000

• Researched and co-wrote grant proposal that achieved funding for innovative family court mediation pilot program, which was later adopted statewide by the NC legislature
• Developed standardized juvenile court orders specifically designed for the 26^th Judicial District for efficient disposition of juvenile delinquency cases
• Conducted research for District Court Judges and drafted judicial rulings and court orders

Residential Counselor, Lutheran Family Services, Hendersonville, NC                       1998-1999

• Provided therapeutic services to Willie M. classified youth offenders by creating implementing and monitoring treatment plans

 

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES                                                                                                      

• Recipient, Lawyers Weekly’s Women of Justice Award for Public Officials, awarded to women judges and other public service officials whose public service fulfills the above ideals in improving the quality of justice, November 2012.

• Member, National Association of Professional Women, 2015-present
• Lead Judge, Charlotte Model Court, 2010-present (lead efforts to foster best practices and innovative approaches in juvenile court in partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges)
• Chair, Model Court Advisory Committee, 2010-present; Member, 2009-present (a collaboration of juvenile court stakeholders implementing systemic changes to improve outcomes for children in abuse, neglect and dependency cases)
• Chair, Permanency Planning Subcommittee, 2009-present (lead efforts to reform the Mecklenburg County Mediation program and to improve the quality of court hearings in abuse, neglect and dependency cases)
• Chair, Mecklenburg County Domestic Violence Advisory Board, 2014; member since 2009 (appointed by the County Commission to research the prevalence and impact of domestic violence on the community and make recommendations to the County Commission and City Council to improve community responses to domestic violence)
• Chair, Domestic Violence Court Committee, 2015; member 2009-present (collaboration of court partners who evaluate the quality of court responses to domestic violence cases and court services to victims and perpetrators of domestic violence)
• Co-Chair, School Disciplinary Policy Council, 2013-present (an interdisciplinary council that works in partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg School District to implement supportive school disciplinary practices, reduce exclusionary discipline and its disparate impact on children of color)
• Co-Founder, Youth Empowerment Fair, 2011
• Member, Race Matters for Juvenile Justice Leadership Team, 2009-present (an interdisciplinary collaboration organized to reduce disparities in juvenile court outcomes)
• Member, Partnership Committee, 2009-present (leadership team designed to maintain ongoing dialogue between juvenile court judges and the directors of local child serving agencies)
• Member, Juvenile Justice Subcommittee, 2009-present (collaborative committee of juvenile justice partners developing and implementing best practices in delinquency cases)
• Judicial Liaison, Mecklenburg County Child Fatality Prevention and Protection Team, 2009-present (team mandated by statute to review all child fatalities in Mecklenburg County and develop recommendations for improvements to systems and agencies to reduce the number of preventable child deaths)
• Judicial Liaison, Children’s Alliance, 2010-2014
• Member, National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Justice Consortium, 2011-present (Established by Congress in 2000, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network is a unique collaboration of academic and community-based service centers whose mission is to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children and their families across the United States. Combining knowledge of child development, expertise in the full range of child traumatic experiences, and attention to cultural perspectives, the NCTSN serves as a national resource for developing and disseminating evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed services, and public and professional education)
• Member, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 2010-present
• Member, Mecklenburg County Bar, 2002-present
• Member, Young Lawyers Division, 2002-2010; Lawyers Teaching Justice Committee, Chair, 2008
• Member, Criminal Justice Section, 2002-2008
• Member, Mecklenburg County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, 2002-2009
• Former Chair, Larry King Clubhouse Board of Directors
• ABA Law Student Division; Lieutenant Governor, Public Interest Law Section, 2000-2001

 

EDUCATION                                                                                                                                            

Wake Forest University, School of Law, Juris Doctor, May 2002

• Recipient, James White Scholarship, Mason Scholarship
• North Carolina State Bar Pro Bono Service Award, 2002 Student Recipient
• Chair, Student Funded Fellowship Committee, 2000; Public Interest Law Organization
• President, Criminal Law Roundtable, 2001-2002
• Recipient, CALI Award for Highest Grade in Constitutional Law: Selected Topics
• Recipient, CALI Award for Highest Grade in Comparative Constitutional Law

Hollins College, B.A., cum laude, Double Major in Philosophy and Social Psychology, May 1998

• Graduated with Philosophy Departmental Honors; completion and defense of honors thesis
• Recipient, Philosophy and Religion Department Award as most outstanding student
• Recipient, Ruby Lee Sanders Scholarship; Louise M. Cooper Scholarship for academic excellence
• Inducted, Phi Sigma Tau, International Honor Society in Philosophy
• Inducted, Alpha Psi Omega, National Theater Honor Society

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

• Sunday School Teacher, Christ Lutheran Church, 2008-present
• Larry King Court Clubhouse, Board Member 2007-2013, Chair 2009-2011
• Cub Scout Den Leader, Pack 118 since 2013
• PTA Member, Waddell Academy of Languages
• Volunteer, Urban Ministries Soup Kitchen
• Volunteer, Room at the Inn, Christ Lutheran Church
• Girls Scout Leader, 2004-2006
• Leadership Team, Member, Christ Lutheran Church Capital Campaign
• Domestic Violence Advocacy Center, Winston-Salem, NC, Volunteer 2000-2002
• Citizen Schools, Volunteer/Mentor, 2006-2007
• Recipient, Winchester Star Leadership Award, 1994 (for outstanding student leadership)

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

• Completed all of the research and drafted the following law review articles for two university professors:
  • Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 v. States’ Sovereign Immunity Rights, 35 Bus. L. Rev. 165 (Fall, 2002)
  • Eleventh Amendment Sovereign Immunity v. The Equal Pay Act, 34 Bus. L. Rev. 151 (Fall, 2001)
• Presenter, to Chinese judicial delegation including the Special Counseling Expert to the Supreme People’s Court & Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China, the Executive Chief Prosecutor of Shapingba District People’s Procuratorate, a Professor/Vice President – SWUPL, Special Counseling Expert of the People’s Procuratorate of Chongqing, Chief Prosecutor, Shapingba District People’s Procuratorate, Professors of Law at SWUPL & Sichuan University School of Law on the effectiveness of Drug Treatment Courts and the Model Juvenile Court System
• Presenter; Right From the Start, 3^rd Annual Model Court Abuse, Neglect and Dependency Conference, The Courts Catalyzing Change Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard Demonstration, November 19, 2010, Charlotte, NC
• Co-Presenter; Right From the Start, 3^rd Annual Model Court Abuse, Neglect and Dependency Conference, Model Courts Moving Forward: A Focus on Tribes, November 19, 2010, Charlotte, NC
• Guest Lecturer on The Role of The Courts in Domestic Violence Cases, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Criminal Justice, Spring 2011, Charlotte, NC
• Presenter; Tribes, Child Welfare and Court Partners Gathering, Court Strategies within North Carolina and Other Jurisdictions to Improve Wellbeing and Permanency for Indian Children, September 22, 2011, Raleigh, NC
• Guest Lecturer; Charlotte School of Law, Professional Responsibility—a Judge’s Perspective, Fall 2010, Charlotte, NC
• Panelist, Campus Conversations—Domestic Violence, University of North Carolina—Charlotte, Broadcast Fall 2010-present, Charlotte, NC
• Panelist; Domestic Violence Training for Volunteer Lawyers, Spring 2009, Charlotte, NC
• Panelist; Victims Act Model Courts Lead Judges’ Meeting & Victims Act Model Courts All-Sites Conference, Hyatt Regency, Louisville, KY, October 4-7, 2010
• Panelist; Fostering Connections Act, Lunch and Learn Training, Mecklenburg County Bar & Youth and Family Services, October 20, 2010, 438 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC
• Panelist; National Leadership Summit on School-Justice Partnerships:Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court, March 11-13, 2012, New York City, NY
• Panelist; Using Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice to Improve Placement Stability BSC Learning, June 12-13, 2012, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Providence, RI
• Panelist; Co-Presenter; Tribes, Child Welfare & Court Partners Gathering Engaging Tribal, State, Urban Indian & Non-Profit Partnership, AOC, North Carolina Judicial Center, Raleigh, NC
• Co-Presenter; Polyvictimization and Trauma-Informed Legal Advocacy, 15^th ABA National Conference on Children and the Law, July 12, 2013, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
• Presenter; Montana Fall Judges’ Conference, Building Trauma Informed Juvenile Courts, October 9, 2013, University of Montana, Grouse Mountain Lodge, Whitefish, MT
• Presenter: A Brighter Future Ending Child Abuse Through Advocacy and Education, March 21, 2014, University of South Carolina, Spartanburg, SC
• Presenter and Panelist; 9th Annual Youth Violence Prevention Conference “Invisible Scars: The Emotional Impact of Exposure to Violence on Our Youth”, April 11, 2014, Charlotte AHEC, Friendship Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC
• Presenter; Child Welfare & Substance Abuse Trauma Informed Legal Practice, June 6, 2014, ABA Pennsylvania Permanency, Conference Center at Central Penn College, Summerdale, PA
• Presenter; 11^th Annual Child Abuse, Neglect & Dependence, September 27, 2014, Maryland Judiciary’s Foster CIP, US Dept. HHS, Judicial Education Conference Center, Annapolis, MD
• Presenter; 16^th Annual Child Abuse, Neglect & Dependency, September 29, 2014, Maryland Judiciary’s Foster CIP, US Dept. HHS, Harbortowne Resort, St. Michaels, MD
• Presenter: Addressing Family Traumatic Stress Before, During, and After Court. Age Related Reactions to Traumatic Events: Young Children, School-Age Children, Adolescents and Adults. Planned in Cooperation with the Administrative Office of the Courts at NC Bar Center, Cary, NC, April 17, 2015
• Presenter: Project ONE All-Sites Conference, Dual Status Youth-The Importance of Collaboration, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, June 17-18, 2015
• Presenter: Best Practice Guidelines for Juvenile Abuse, Neglect and Dependence Cases Adopted by National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, NC Association of District Court Judges’ Conference, 2015 Summer Conference, Holiday Inn Resort, Wrightsville Beach, NC, June 22-25, 2015

 

PERSONAL

• Married to Eric C. Trosch, August 17, 2002; Two Children, Alec and Joseph
• Member, Christ Lutheran Church
• Avid Runner (enjoys local races, including Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and Thunder Road Half Marathon)
• Yoga Practitioner