Newby completes appointments to new Complex Family Financial Court
Chief Justice Paul Newby has appointed Johnathan L. Rhyne Jr. as the third and final judge for North Carolina’s new Complex Family Financial Court program, completing the judicial appointments authorized under a 2026 state law.
The North Carolina Judicial Branch announced the appointment Thursday. Rhyne is scheduled to take the oath of office Oct. 1, and the new program is scheduled to begin receiving designation notices for complex family financial cases Jan. 1, 2027.
The program was established by Session Law 2026-41. The law authorizes the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court to appoint three special superior court judges to hear and decide complex family financial cases filed in district court.
According to the Judicial Branch, the judges will be able to conduct hearings, take testimony, evaluate evidence and enter temporary, interim and final orders in qualifying cases. The program is designed for complex family financial disputes involving equitable distribution, alimony, post-separation support, child support or combinations of those claims.
Rhyne is a partner with The Jonas Law Firm in Lincolnton and has practiced family law for more than 40 years. The Judicial Branch said he has been a board certified family law specialist for 29 years and is a certified family financial mediator.
Newby previously appointed Marci Armstrong of Smithfield as chief Complex Family Financial Court judge on July 24 and Robin J. Stinson of Winston-Salem as the second judge on Aug. 13.
The appointment is significant because it completes the bench for a new statewide judicial program created by the General Assembly. The court’s work will affect how qualifying complex family financial disputes move through the state court system beginning in 2027.
Editor’s note:
This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
