{{short description|American judge}} {{about|the American judge|his son|S. Thomas Currin II}} {{Infobox judge | name = Sam Currin | image = | alt = | caption = | office = Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party | term_start = 1996 | term_end = 1999 | predecessor = | successor = Bill Cobey | office2 = North Carolina Superior Court Judge | term_start2 = 1987 | term_end2 = 1990 | nominator2 = | appointer2 = James G. Martin | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | office3 = United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina | term_start3 = 1981 | term_end3 = 1987 | president3 = Ronald Reagan | predecessor3 = James L. Blackburn | successor3 = Douglas McCullough | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | education = Wake Forest University<br />University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<br/>Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | spouse = Margaret Person | children = S. Thomas Currin II | party = Republican | occupation = lawyer<br/>politician<br/>minister }} '''Samuel Thomas Currin Sr.''' is an American Baptist minister, retired judge, and former lawyer. He served as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina from 1981 to 1987 and as a North Carolina Superior Court Judge from 1987 to 1990. He also served as the Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party and as Judge Advocate in Chief for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Currin was imprisoned in 2007 for money laundering and obstruction of justice. He was released in 2009 after providing a testimony against one of his co-conspirators.
== Education == Currin graduated with honors from Wake Forest University, earned a juris doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and earned a master's degree in Ethics, Theology and Culture and a doctorate in Christian Education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.<ref name= carolina>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title= Sam Currin|url= https://www.carolinajournal.com/people/sam-currin/|website= Carolina Journal|location= |publisher= John Locke Foundation|access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref><ref name= holden>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= February 12, 2023|title= Guest Ministers Dr. Sam Currin - Baptist|url= http://www.holdenbeachchapel.org/Blog/Guest-Ministers/Guest-Ministers/Dr-Sam-Currin--Baptist/?link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0|website= Holden Beach Chapel|location= Holden Beach, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date=}}</ref>
== Career == === Law and politics === Currin began his career working as a federal prosecutor in Raleigh, North Carolina before being hired as a legislative worker by Senator Jesse Helms.<ref name= states/>
Upon Helms's recommendation, Currin was appointed the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and served in that capacity until 1987.<ref name= wral>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= September 4, 2007|title= Ex-Judge Sent to Prison for Money Laundering|url= https://www.wral.com/story/1776709/|website= WRAL-TV|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref><ref name= states/> As a U.S. attorney, Currin oversaw the prosecution of the perpetrators of Colcor, a corruption case involving government officials in Columbus County.<ref name= states/> In 1986, he prosecuted members of the White Patriot Party, a neo-Nazi paramilitary group.<ref name= indyweek/> He also prosecuted dozens of drug conspiracy cases in Brunswick County.<ref name= holden/>
Helms recommended Currin for a federal judgeship, but withdrew the recommendation after Raleigh lawyers opposed the nomination.<ref name= states/> In 1987, Governor James G. Martin appointed him to the North Carolina Superior Court.<ref name= wral/><ref name= states/> He served on the court until 1990.<ref name= states/>
He was elected as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party in 1996 and served until 1999.<ref name= indyweek>{{cite web |last= Elliston|first= Jon|date= August 18, 2004|title= Sam Currin caught in the crossfire|url= https://indyweek.com/news/archives-news/sam-currin-caught-crossfire/|website= Indy Week|location= Durham, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> He was a member of the Electoral College of the United States, representing North Carolina during the 2000 United States presidential election, where he voted for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://presidentelect.org/e2000.html |title = President Elect - 2000 |access-date=2009-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212174238/http://presidentelect.org/e2000.html |archive-date=2012-02-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Following his term on the court, Currin worked in private practice.<ref name= wral/> The waiting room of his law office in downtown Raleigh was reportedly decorated with paintings of General Robert E. Lee and other famous Confederates and supplied issues of ''Southern Partisan'' and ''Confederate Veteran'' magazines to clients.<ref name= indyweek/> During this time, he served pro bono as legal chief for the North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) .<ref name= states/><ref name= southern>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= August 11, 2006|title= Top SCV Attorney Indicted in International Tax Scheme|url= https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/top-scv-attorney-indicted-international-tax-scheme/|website= Southern Poverty Law Center|location= Montgomery, Alabama|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> According to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, he fought against anti-racism efforts within the organization.<ref name= southern/> He ratified the expulsion of three hundred SCV members and barred entry to Walt Hilderman III, a leading member who planned to run for the SCV's Commander in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans on an anti-racist platform, from the SCV's annual convention in July 2004.<ref name= southern/><ref name= indyweek/> Denne Sweeney, who was elected SCV Commander in Chief, appointed Currin as Judge Advocate in Chief, the highest legal post in the SCV.<ref name= southern/><ref name= indyweek/> He resigned from the position upon being indicted in 2006.<ref name= southern/>
==== Arrest and imprisonment ==== Currin was indicted in 2006 following a three-year-long undercover investigation.<ref name= southern/> In November 2006, Currin pled guilty to charges of money laundering and obstruction of justice.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= December 11, 2006|title= Former U.S. Attorney Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering|url= https://www.wral.com/story/1088268/|website= WRAL-TV|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= November 2, 2006|title= Ex-U.S. attorney pleads guilty in tax fraud case|url= https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15535775|website= NBC News|location= |publisher= |access-date=}}</ref> He admitted to lying and failing to surrender documents to a grand jury, failing to report $6,000 in income to the Internal Revenue Service, and to laundering around $1.4 million in a securities fraud scheme run by a spam email company.<ref name= wral/><ref name= states>{{cite web |last= Fitzsimon|first= Chris|date= December 23, 2021|title= The rise and fall of Sam Currin|url= https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rise-and-fall-sam-currin|website= News from the States|location= |publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> According to prosecutors, Currin profited over $240,000 for his involvement in the scheme, which used spam emails, unsolicited faxes, internet search optimization, and voice mail broadcasting to manipulate the stock prices of multiple publicly traded companies.<ref name= wral/> In September 2007, he was sentenced to almost six years in prison.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= September 5, 2007|title= Former judge, prosecutor gets almost 6 years on fraud charges|url= https://www.law.com/article/almID/1202552161778/?slreturn=20260424164726|website= The American Lawyer|location= New York, New York|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> After Currin testified against one of his co-conspirators, federal prosecutors recommended a reduced sentence.<ref name= abc11>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= July 14, 2009|title= Former GOP chair to leave prison|url= https://abc11.com/archive/6913682/|website= WTVD|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> In 2009, a judge issued a release order for Currin.<ref name= abc11/>
=== Ministry and political advocacy === Currin is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and an advocate for K-12 Christian education.<ref name= carolina/> In 1974, he attended one of Billy Graham's crusades at Carter–Finley Stadium.<ref name= carolina2/> In the 1980s and 1990s, he served on the board of directors of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and played an important role in the Southern Baptist Convention's decision to defund it's public affairs agency in 1990.<ref name= baptist>{{cite web |last= Marus|first= Robert |date= May 2, 2006|title= Sam Currin indicted in tax fraud case|url= https://baptiststandard.com/archives/2006-archives/sam-currin-indicted-fin-tax-fraud-case/|website= Baptist Standard|location= |publisher= Baptist General Convention of Texas|access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> He served on the board of directors of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina until his resignation in April 2006.<ref name= baptist/>
In 1987, he lobbied for the Southern Baptist Convention to endorse Robert Bork following his 1897 nomination to the United States Supreme Court.<ref name= baptist/>
In 2023, he served as a guest minister at Holden Beach Chapel in Holden Beach, North Carolina.<ref name= holden/>
He has written op-eds for the ''Carolina Journal'' about Billy Graham and promoting Christian and private education and freedom of religion.<ref name= carolina/><ref name= carolina3>{{cite web |last= Currin|first= Sam|date= November 9, 2023|title= Should your church start a school?|url= https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/should-your-church-start-a-school/|website= Carolina Journal|location= |publisher= John Locke Foundation|access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref><ref name= carolina4>{{cite web |last= Currin|first= Sam|date= July 4, 2023 |title= A good week for God and country|url= https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/a-good-week-for-god-and-country/|website= Carolina Journal|location= |publisher= John Locke Foundation|access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> Currin also wrote for ''North State Journal'', criticizing the administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden and praising the efforts of President Donald Trump.<ref>{{cite web |last= Currin |first= Sam|date= September 5, 2025|title= CURRIN: Can the president rescue Washington?|url= https://nsjonline.com/article/2025/09/currin-can-the-president-rescue-washington/|website= North State Journal|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> He also criticized the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign for supporting abortion rights.<ref>{{cite web |last= Currin |first= Sam|date= November 22, 2024|title= CURRIN: Voters rejected Kamala Harris' radical abortion agenda |url= https://nsjonline.com/article/2024/11/currin-voters-rejected-kamala-harris-radical-abortion-agenda/|website= North State Journal|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> In 2025, he condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk and referred to Kirk as a "Christian martyr".<ref>{{cite web |last= Currin|first= Sam|date= September 26, 2025|title= CURRIN: Charlie Kirk: American patriot and Christian martyr|url= https://nsjonline.com/article/2025/09/currin-charlie-kirk-american-patriot-and-christian-martyr/|website= North State Journal|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref>
Currin donated to the NC Heritage PAC, a conservative political action committee, in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last= Barber|first= Rebekah|date= February 3, 2020|title= North Carolina Officials Aren't Rushing to Return Pro-Confederate PAC Donations|url= https://truthout.org/articles/north-carolina-officials-arent-rushing-to-return-pro-confederate-pac-donations/|website= Truth Out|location= |publisher= |access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref>
In 2023, he claimed that the United States had an "aggressive secular culture" that was "attempting to force ideological conformity on people of faith" and accused LGBTQ activists and "leftist politicians" of seeking political revenge against the Supreme Court for its rulings in ''Groff v. DeJoy'' and ''303 Creative LLC v. Elenis''.<ref name= carolina4/>
== Personal life == Currin is married to Margaret P. Currin, who also served as a United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.<ref name= states/><ref name= carolina2>{{cite web |last= Currin|first= Sam|date= May 30, 2024|title= The remarkable legacy of Billy Graham|url= https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/the-remarkable-legacy-of-billy-graham/|website= Carolina Journal|location= |publisher= John Locke Foundation|access-date= April 24, 2026}}</ref> Their son, S. Thomas Currin II, is a superior court judge.
He is a member of Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh.<ref name= holden/>
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Currin, Sam}} Category:Living people Category:20th-century American lawyers Category:20th-century North Carolina state court judges Category:21st-century Baptist ministers from the United States Category:American opinion journalists Category:American people convicted of money laundering Category:Baptists from North Carolina Sam Category:Lawyers from Raleigh, North Carolina Category:Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Category:North Carolina Republicans Category:Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni Category:Southern Baptist ministers Category:State political party chairs of North Carolina Category:United States attorneys for the Eastern District of North Carolina Category:University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Category:Wake Forest University alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people)