Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday named a familiar figure in state politics to an open seat in Judicial District 24: Larry Leake, the former chairman of the State Board of Elections who presided over the hearings that resulted in a $100,000 fine and a criminal referral against former Gov. Mike Easley.

Easley, a Democrat who served as governor from 2001-09, later pleaded guilty to a felony in Wake County Superior Court, becoming the first governor in North Carolina history to be convicted of a felony for actions he took while in office.

Leake, a Mars Hill attorney, led the October 2009 hearings in which a series of Democratic Party donors testified providing donations to the state Democratic Party that they expected to be “earmarked” for the Easley campaign — a violation of campaign finance laws. The hearings also uncovered evidence that businessman McQueen Campbell had provided free flights for Easley valued at nearly $100,000 that either should have been reported to state election officials as campaign contributions or reimbursed by Easley’s campaign committee. Neither occurred.

Ruffin Poole, Easley’s legal counsel and top aide, refused to testify in the hearings. Poole later was convicted of income-tax evasion in federal court for failing to report $30,000 he received for “criminal activity” — presumably related to transactions dealing with the Cannonsgate coastal development, where Easley purchased a prime waterfront lot at a discount. Poole was sentenced to a year in prison and served roughly 11 months behind bars.

Read Carolina Journal‘s entire series on the Easley campaign investigation here.

Leake’s judicial district includes Avery, Madison, Mitchell, Watauga, and Yancey counties.

Cooper also appointed attorney Marion Boone, who will serve as a judge in Judicial District 17B (Stokes and Surry counties).

Judge Vinston Rozier was named Superior Court judge in Judicial District 10B (Wake County.)