WS Chronicle

After being elected by voters in 2024 to serve Seat 6 of the 31st District Court, Judge Artrese Ziglar was officially sworn in this past January. Before she was elected to serve by the citizens of Forsyth County, Ziglar made a name for herself as an attorney with the Forsyth County Public Defender’s Office. Ziglar is the first Black woman to receive the Harvey Lupton Award, which is awarded annually by the Forsyth County Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers Association to criminal defense attorneys who have shown distinction in the courtroom and in the community.  

Ziglar said she doesn’t know exactly what sparked her interest in law, but it is something that she’s been wanting to do since she was in the fifth grade. “I feel like this is what God has called me to do, to be able to help people. This is where I can help the most,” Ziglar explained in an interview with The Chronicle.  

A graduate of Parkland High School, Ziglar received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina  Greensboro (UNCG). From there, she went on to earn her law degree from N.C. Central University where she graduated cum laude. During her time with the local public defender’s office, Ziglar served as lead counsel in dozens of trials in both District and Superior Court. Ziglar said in the beginning she saw working in public defense as a way to get trial experience, but after she started working and saw the impact she was making, she fell in love with it.  

“I served as a public defender for 17 years, and about two years ago there was another rumble in me that that was another calling where I could serve my community in an even bigger capacity,” she said.  

In addition to her work in the courtroom, Judge Ziglar also does her part to inspire young people to pursue careers in law. Ziglar has helped stage mock trials at local elementary schools and has always made herself available to speak to local students about her own journey and give advice on what steps they should take to blaze their own path in the field. Ziglar has also worked as an adjunct professor at Winston-Salem State University and has several leadership roles within the legal community.  

Ziglar has served as past vice president and board member of the Forsyth County Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers Association and past treasurer of the Winston-Salem Bar Association. She is currently an executive board member of the Forsyth County Bar Association. ”I’ve always been into community service and helping out wherever I think that I could benefit,” Ziglar continued.  

“I do think it is more important now for young children to be able to see me in this robe. I also think it is very important that when I am outside of work, that I am still carrying myself as if I have on this robe. Because I think it is important for young people to understand how this comes to be and what you have to do to keep it.”  

When asked how she wants to be remembered when she steps down from the bench, Judge Ziglar said she wants her legacy to reflect her love and admiration for the rule of law. “I hope that people will say that I had knowledge of law, I had a respect of the law, I had compassion for the people, and I had a heart of true service,” said Ziglar when discussing her legacy.  

“I feel like there’s a lot of sacrifices that are made personally for this job that often people don’t see. And it’s an everyday thing,” she continued. “We sacrifice every day to be able to do this job effectively, if it is something that you truly want to do a good job at. So I hope that all of that is reflected in my legacy, because those are the important things to me. That is what I wake up every morning and say, this is what I need to do, this is my purpose.” 

This Women’s History Month, we are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of Judge Ziglar, her dedication to community service, and her love for the law. “There’s definitely been some obstacles, some hurdles, some adversities that women have overcome, and so this is a celebration of that,” Ziglar said.  

“It’s a time to reflect and be grateful for the ones who came before you and started the process, carried a lot of weight on their shoulders and let you climb on top of them too, to be able to accomplish your goals. And then it’s just a reminder to everybody that you can do whatever you want to do, man, woman, it doesn’t matter.”