Longest-serving Mecklenburg judge not seeking re-election to Superior Court

Mecklenburg County’s longest serving judge said Tuesday he would not seek re-election in 2026 .

Superior Court Judge Louis A. Trosch Jr., who was first appointed to the bench on Jan. 5, 1999, said he would be joining his father, brothers and son at a law firm.

“As saddened as I am to take off the robe, I am equally excited about my next life chapter,” Trosch said in an email to colleagues. “I plan to join … the law firm of Conrad, Trosch & Kemmy, P.A., so you will still see me at the courthouse. I’ll just be wearing a coat and tie instead of a black robe.”

Trosch, a West Charlotte High School graduate, attended UNC’s law school in Chapel Hill between 1989 and 1992, according to his resume. In 1993, he began practicing law in Charlotte and in 1995 started lecturing at UNC Charlotte. He was a district court judge from 1999 to 2018 in juvenile and family courts until he was elected to superior court in 2019.

He previously worked at Conrad, Trosch & Kemmy between 1995 and 1999, his resume said. The firm was founded by Trosch’s father, Louis A. Trosch Sr., according to its website.

A press release from the 26th Judicial District of North Carolina listed some of the awards Trosch received throughout his career, including the Lucille P. Giles Volunteerism Award by Florence Crittendon Services in 2012 for his work with children and families, and the H. Keith Brunnemer, Jr. Award from Mental Health America of Central Carolinas in 2019 for his work in mental health services.

“Thank you for your patience with me over the years, your wisdom and, most importantly, for your dedication to the often-thankless jobs we each have undertaken,” Trosch’s email said. “Collectively and individually, you have all helped me become both a better judge and a better person.”