A new judge is taking her place on North Carolina's highest court.
    
Judge Cheri Beasley is scheduled to be sworn in Thursday to a seat on the state Supreme Court.
    
Beasley is replacing Supreme Court Associate Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, who retired last month. Timmons-Goodson was the first African-American woman to serve on the state court.
    
Beasley was one of two black women serving on the state Court of Appeals, North Carolina's intermediate appeals court.
    
She was appointed by Gov. Beverly Perdue to complete Timmons-Goodson's term, which means Beasley will have to run for re-election in 2014 if she wants a new eight-year term.