Joe John

Joseph Robert John Sr. (October 13, 1939 – January 22, 2025) was an American politician and jurist who was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, having served from 2017 to 2025. He had formerly been a judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 1992 until 2000. Previously, he had been a state Superior Court and District Court judge, based in Greensboro. He had also been a prosecutor and practiced law at the firm of Pell, Pell, Weston & John.

Life and career In 2010, John was named interim director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation crime lab by N.C. Attorney General Roy A. Cooper. He was named to the post on a permanent basis in 2011. John retired in 2014.

John was elected as a Democrat to the North Carolina House of Representatives, District 40, in 2016, defeating incumbent Rep. Marilyn Avila. In 2018, John was re-elected to a second term after defeating Avila in a rematch. John won a third term in 2020, defeating Republican challenger Gerald Falzon.

During his time in office, John had focused on fully funding North Carolina schools, eliminating partisan gerrymandering, and fighting against what he called the "War on an Independent Judiciary".

John announced his resignation from the legislature on January 19, 2025, effective January 21st, after his cancer diagnosis was deemed terminal. He died the next day, on January 22, at the age of 85.

Electoral history 2022

2020

2018

2016

Committee assignments

2021–2022 session Appropriations Appropriations – Justice and Public Safety Judiciary II Families, Children, and Aging Policy Transportation

2019–2020 session Appropriations Appropriations – Justice and Public Safety Judiciary Families, Children, and Aging Policy Transportation

2017–2018 session Appropriations Appropriations – Justice and Public Safety Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs Insurance Judiciary II State and Local Government II