Judge Orlando Hudson Retires

Judge Orlando Hudson has decided to retire prior to reaching 72 as mandated by state law. His office confirmed his decision Thursday.

Hudson presided over numerous high-profile trials as Durham County Superior Court judge, most notably the high-profile “staircase” case involving Durham novelist Michael Peterson’s murder of Kathleen in 2003 – later made into a Netflix docuseries. Over time, Hudson has considered and reconsidered some decisions made during that trial.

Hudson stated in an interview with the News & Observer in 2015 that, had she conducted the trial anew, there are some things she would change, specifically regarding homosexual evidence and blood-spatter evidence in court proceedings. Furthermore, Hudson expressed discontent at how evidence was presented to jurors, criticizing its presentation to jurors while being wary not to allow personal bias interfere with decision-making process in case.

The judge explained to the jury that his job was to decipher between facts and fiction for them and intervene if evidence appeared misleading. As an example, he pointed out SBI investigator Duane Deaver had given false testimony during Peterson’s trial by offering what Deaver called junk science — blood spatter tests based on hair analysis — as testimony. Deaver was eventually fired due to his involvement in Peterson case.

Hudson remains committed to upholding the rule of law and treating all parties fairly in trial, earning him the 2016 Outstanding Trial Judge award from North Carolina Advocates for Justice, presented by Durham attorney William S. Mills and Durham County judge Mary Ann Tally.

Hudson was honored for being a model of fair and impartial decision-making in the courts since 1988 when he joined Superior Court as a Superior Court judge and served as 14th Judicial District senior resident judge from 1995 – as well as district court judge, district prosecutor assistant state prosecutor, assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor assistant state prosecutor. Hudson graduated with his undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor from UNC Law School. Inspired by civil rights law, Hudson spent summers interning for Sammie Chess Jr. of High Point. They went on to collaborate in private practice together for several years prior to Hudson joining the bench; both are also recognized by NC Central’s School of Law as distinguished alumni.