Former Durham DA to go before Court of Appeals Wednesday

The North Carolina Court of Appeals will hear arguments Wednesday afternoon from a former Durham County District Attorney who claims she was wrongfully removed from office.

Tracey Cline lost her position last March after Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood said he found "clear, cogent and convincing" evidence that Cline had "brought the office of the Durham County District Attorney and the entire Durham County justice system into disrepute" through her repeated public criticisms of Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson.

Cline alleged in court filings that Hudson was biased against her and her office and asked to have him barred from handling criminal cases in Durham County. She will argue those points again Wednesday at 1 p.m. in front of the Court of Appeals.

A disciplinary hearing in front of the North Carolina State Bar is on hold pending the Court of Appeals ruling.

The bar's disciplinary hearing, which was originally scheduled for the first week of October 2012, will rule on a complaint against Cline alleging she committed five violations of rules requiring lawyers to be honest and trustworthy.

It's not clear what punishment Cline might face.

The state Judicial Standards Commission in September found no probable cause to investigate allegations made by Cline against Hudson.