National law firm Baker Donelson announced that Robert J. "Bobby" Higdon Jr., a shareholder in the Firm's Raleigh office and member of its Government Enforcement and Investigations Group, has been appointed to the North Carolina Post-Conviction Review Commission by North Carolina Chief Justice Paul Newby. Mr. Higdon's term runs from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028.
The North Carolina Post-Conviction Review Commission was established in 2006 to examine claims of factual innocence and recommend reforms to improve the reliability and fairness of the state's criminal justice system. The Commission is separate from the appeals process; a person exonerated through the Commission process is declared innocent and cannot be retried for the same crime.
Mr. Higdon brings more than 30 years of experience in government service and private practice to the Commission. From 2017 to 2021, he served as the 47th presidentially appointed United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where he led federal law enforcement efforts across the region and oversaw matters involving public corruption, financial fraud, health care fraud, cybercrime, violent crime, and national security. Prior to that role, Mr. Higdon spent more than two decades as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina and served as a senior trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section.
"I am honored by Chief Justice Newby's confidence and grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Post-Conviction Review Commission," Mr. Higdon said. "Ensuring the integrity of the justice system is a responsibility shared by all who serve it, and I look forward to contributing my experience in a way that supports fairness, accuracy, and public trust."
In private practice, Mr. Higdon advises corporate and individual clients nationwide on regulatory proceedings, enforcement actions, grand jury investigations, white collar criminal defense, and related civil litigation. He has also conducted numerous internal investigations for companies operating in heavily regulated industries and regularly advises prosecutors, defense counsel, judges, and law enforcement officials domestically and abroad.
Mr. Higdon earned his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and his B.A., cum laude, from Wake Forest University. He is a member of the Triangle Leadership Association, a non-profit organization established in 1992 to educate and promote collaboration across the separate communities of the Research Triangle; The Federalist Society; and the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. Mr. Higdon is a lifetime member of the National Association of Former United States Attorneys.