The Hon. Donald Cureton, Jr. is a judge for the Mecklenburg County Superior Court in the 26th Judicial District of the 5th Division in North Carolina. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Roy Cooper in December 2022, filling the vacancy created by the Hon. Casey Viser.
Prior to his appointment, Cureton presided as a judge for the Mecklenburg County District Court since 2010. Before joining the bench, he was an assistant public defender for the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office and an associate at the Law Offices of Bush & Powers, P.A. (2007 to 2010).
Cureton received a B.A. in political science and government from Winston-Salem State University in 2000. He then completed a J.D. at Howard University School of Law in 2003.
His memberships include the Mecklenburg County Bar, the North Carolina State Bar, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the North Carolina Association of District Court Judges, the John S. Leary Bar Association for Black Lawyers, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the American Bar Association.
Cureton also served as a member of the Governor’s Crime Commission, the Juvenile Justice Subcommittee (chairperson), the Mecklenburg County Bar Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Pipelen Programming Subcommittee, and the Mecklenburg County Bar Professional and Lawyer Life Committee.
He was also involved with the Be More Foundation (vice president), the Lydia Smith Sickle Cell Foundation, Larry King’s Clubhouse, the Mecklenburg County Courthouse Daycare, the Community Building Initiative, Leadership Development Initiative Class 16, the ‘Leaders Under 40’ Program Class 2, and the Mecklenburg County Bar Leadership Institute.
Cureton attended Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, including Garinger Senior High School, where he graduated in 1996.
He is registered as a Democrat.