Marcia Helen Morey is an American politician, former judge and former competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. She competed in the preliminary heats of the women's 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter breaststroke events, recording times of 1:17.30 and 2:41.85, respectively. A graduate of Millikin University, she served as the Chief District Court Judge of the 14th Judicial District in North Carolina. before being appointed to the North Carolina House of Representatives in April 2017 by Governor Roy Cooper to fill a vacancy. She was subsequently elected in 2018. Prior to joining the legislature, she served the 14th Judicial District Court as a district court judge for 18 years and as Chief District Court Judge for 5 years. Morey worked with law enforcement, defense attorneys, and prosecutors to develop new ways to deal with 16 and 17 year-olds who had been charged with a crime. She spearheaded a program, called the "Misdemeanor Diversion Program," that diverts these youths to education and community service programs that allows the teens to avoid a criminal record which enables them to find jobs and receive financial aid for college. MDP has helped over 300 youth and is now a model that has been copied across North Carolina. In 1998, Governor Jim Hunt appointed Morey as the executive director of the Governor’s Commission on Juvenile Crime and Justice to reform North Carolina's juvenile justice system. During her tenure juvenile crime rates were reduced by approximately 40%. She previously served as an assistant district attorney in Durham and created the first diversionary program in the state for first-time youthful offenders charged with misdemeanors in district court in 1994, The Durham County Teen Court & Restitution Program.. Morey earned her undergraduate degree from Millikin University in Illinois, her master's degree in education from Reed College, and her J.D. from Northwestern University Law School. Morey grew up in Decatur, Illinois. Both parents were active in their community and taught her the importance of giving back. Her father was a World War II and Korean War veteran, attorney, and city councilman. At the age of six years old, Morey became a competitive swimmer. She went on to win 7 national titles, competed in two world championship meets, and was co-captain of the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1976 Montreal games. Morey is a lesbian. She is one of four openly LGBT members of the North Carolina General Assembly, alongside Reps. Deb Butler, Cecil Brockman, and Allison Dahle.
