CHARLOTTE
A North Carolina judge facing misconduct charges and possible removal from the bench has resigned.
Bill Belk, a Mecklenburg District Court judge, gave no reason for his decision in a brief resignation letter submitted Friday to a judge's assistant.
"I am resigning my judgeship effective this afternoon, Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. I have enjoyed my friendship with you and my clerks, sheriffs, D.A.'s, attorneys and my fellow judges. Best of luck to all of you.
"P.S.," he wrote, "I hope this doesn't cause an inconvenience on scheduling next week."
Belk, 60, was elected in November 2008. He has been fighting allegations he broke state rules for judicial conduct by serving on the boards of at least two companies. He also faced discipline for a confrontation with Chief District Court Judge Lisa Bell after she refused his request for several days off to attend a board meeting of Sonic Automotive.
Belk confronted Bell in the hallway after finding out he couldn't have the time off, calling her a "political hack" and behaving in a threatening and abusive way, according to allegations against Belk.
Belk denied the accusations at a hearing last month before the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission in Raleigh. But last week, the judge said that the board was going to recommend the state Supreme Court remove him from the bench.
Belk is the grandson of the founder of the Belk department store chain and nephew of former Charlotte Mayor John Belk. At his disciplinary hearing, the commission's lawyer, Nancy Vecchia, suggested he is "a man clearly used to having his way."
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