Adults & Teens Portrait Gallery

by: Elana Marsh, Staff Writer

If anyone were going to have a retirement party full of smiles, belly laughs and tearful goodbyes, it was going to be former Superior Court Judge Regina Joe.

On a sunny Friday afternoon in February, Joe sat among her friends and family who wished her well in her future following a near 36-year career in law and the judiciary system.

“This is a bittersweet time for me,” said Joe. “This is a celebratory moment that marks the closure of a love affair between me and what I believe I was called to do, and all of you that I was blessed to do it with.”

Throughout the two-hour, well-attended ceremony at the Moore County Courthouse, lines blurred between blood relation and career friendships as family and friends took to the podium to share their appreciation for Joe. Her official portrait was unveiled in a Moore County courtroom, but will be displayed at the Hoke County Courthouse, where she spent much of her career.

An even greater surprise for Joe was receiving the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian award for public service to come out of the state governor’s office, following her portrait’s presentation.

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