Amanda Maris Email and Phone Number

Judge Maris is one of seven district court judges in Durham, North Carolina where she is an assigned Juvenile and Family Court Judge. She also presides regularly in domestic violence, traffic, child support, civil and criminal courts. Maris was originally appointed to the bench in the 16th Judicial District by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2017 and retained by the voters of Durham County in two subsequent elections in 2018 and 2022. Judge Maris is a longtime community leader on issues impacting our youth, families and in the area of expunctions, driver’s license restoration and second chances in our court system. She was a Board Member (and President) of the Durham Co. Teen Court & Restitution Program for 10 years and a volunteer judge with the program. In 2008, Judge Maris co-founded the first quarterly free public expunction clinic in NC in partnership with Legal Aid of NC and was a nominee for the NCBA Chief Justice Award in 2015 as a result. In 2018, Judge Maris was instrumental in the creation of a new court referral program called, The Durham Expunction and Restoration (DEAR) Program which dramatically increased access to expunctions, certificates of relief and driver’s license restoration/debt relief for Durham and other NC residents. She continues to lead and support the DEAR program as a Co-Chair of the Advisory Board.Formerly, Maris practiced as an Asst. Public Defender in district and superior court for approximately 11 years. She also participated in the first Misdemeanor Diversion Program in the state designed to assist young offenders (ages 16-21) with keeping their records clean and offering individualized treatment. Judge Maris additionally spent time teaching law students legal writing as adjunct faculty at N.C. Central University's School of Law before becoming a judge.Maris has prior experience in civil litigation, family law, estate planning and as a Guardian ad Litem in Wake County. She also represented the Public Defender's Office on the Durham Crime Cabinet working on various initiatives, such as, exploring a new mental health court, probation reforms, and gun safety measures in Durham.Judge Maris highly values participation in both local community and government endeavors that are designed to improve the justice system and dismantle historic institutional biases. She believes that serving as a judge is not only an honor but a calling, and one she never takes lightly with the interests of the people always paramount to everything she does.