Judge Leon Stanback presided in Superior Court in the Triangle for 20 years, gaining a reputation as a calm, reasoned force in the courtroom, not showing favor, playing things straight down the middle. Gov. Beverly Perdue doubtless had those qualities in mind when she named Stanback as district attorney in Durham during the suspension of D.A. Tracey Cline.
Cline's bombastic attacks on Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson, and her equally off-target claims that a conspiracy has been building to get her out of office, were distractions from the vitally important day-to-day work of carrying out justice in Durham courts. She has caused great concern about how her behavior affects the credibility of outcomes in the justice system.
Stanback's personality is very much opposite Cline's, and he knows the area. He also knows about two sides in every case, about the mission of prosecutors to strive for truth and not just victory. On his record, he'll calm things down.
