A memorial service will be held this month for Judge David Lee, who presided over North Carolina’s far-reaching school funding case for several years and last year ordered taxpayer money to be spent unfairly on students.
According to an obituary posted online by Gordon Funeral Service & Crematory, Lee died of complications from cancer at Monroe’s home on October 4. The funeral home confirmed his death on Monday.
Superior Court Judge Lee has been overseeing a case called “Leandro” since late 2016. Lee reached his retirement age as a judge in January this year.
In November, Lee transferred $1.75 billion from the state treasury to government agencies to provide at-risk children and people in poor neighborhoods with a constitutionally mandated “sound basic education opportunity.” directed to fund a remedial spending plan for
Lottery numbers for Sunday October 1st in North Carolina. 9
The repeated failure of the state, particularly the legislature, to abide by major court rulings resulting from the 1994 lawsuit has ruled that judges have the power to transfer taxpayer funds.
North Carolina Charter Schools Petition U.S. Supreme Court to Review Dress Code Ruling
A state appeals court panel blocked the transfer and Lee’s successor reduced the required amount to $785 million. The state Supreme Court he gave oral arguments in August as to whether the judiciary has the authority to make such unilateral spending decisions. Judges are not yet in control.
A South Carolina native who grew up in Unionville, Lee attended Western Carolina University and Wake Forest Law School. He was a civil litigation attorney for many years until his first bench appointment in 2003. He has served as president of his local Jaycees and Rotary club group.
North Carolina Supreme Court Hears Argument Again in School Funding Case
Lee said he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer last year โ a tumor was discovered in his liver in 2019.
A memorial service is scheduled for October 22 at the First Baptist Church in Monroe. The survivor has a wife, three children, and three grandchildren.