Deborah Stagner’s practice focuses on education law, litigation, and appeals. She also advises school boards and local governments on election matters, including redistricting.
Ms. Stagner received her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Kansas in 1992. She attended the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she was a published staff member of the North Carolina Law Review and earned her J.D. with honors in 1997. Prior to joining Tharrington Smith in 2003, Ms. Stagner served for three years as a law clerk to Chief Justice Henry E. Frye of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She has been licensed to practice law in North Carolina since 1997 and is admitted to practice before all federal courts in North Carolina and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Stagner was a member of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Council of School Attorneys from 2015 until 2022 and served as Chair for 2020-2021.
University of North Carolina School of Law
- J.D., 1997 with honors
- Published staff member of the North Carolina Law Review
University of Kansas
- North Carolina Supreme Court, law clerk to Chief Justice Henry E. Frye, 1997-2000
- North Carolina State Bar, 1997
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 2000
- United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, 2003
- United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, 2003
- United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2000
- United States Supreme Court, 2017
- National Council of School Attorneys
- North Carolina Bar Association, Education Law Section
- 10th Judicial District Bar
- North Carolina Council of School Attorneys, Region III Representative 2014-18; Officer 2019-present
- NCSBA Spring Law Conference – A Fair Hearing: The Duty to Remain Impartial and Illegal Reasons for Board Actions (2015)
- Law Institute for Teachers (LIFT) – Violence in the Schools, co-presenter with Tom Stern (2008, 2010, 2011)
- NCSBA Fall School Law Conference – Charter Schools and Virtual Charter Schools: Litigation and Funding issues, panel member (2013)
- NCSBA Fall Law Conference – Elements of the ADA: Recent Issues in Litigation over Dual Employment Positions (2013)
- NCSBA School Board 101 – Open Meetings Law (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018)
- NCSBA Annual Law School Conference – Copyright and Plagiarism in the Information Age (2008)
- Principal’s Executive Program – Student Search and Seizure (2008)
- NCCOSA Summer Law Conference – COVID Issue #2: Student-Related Issues – Health and Safety, Privacy, Disclosing Communicable Disease Information and More, discussion leader (2020)
- UNC School of Government School Attorneys’ Conference – Pension Cap Litigation, co-presenter with Michael Crowell and Lindsay Vance Smith (2019)
- NCCOSA Summer Law Conference – Cases Pending on Appeal: A Watch List for School Board Attorneys (2019)
- NCACC Annual Conference – Changing Demographics, Drawing Districts, and County Impacts, co-presenter with Blake Esselstyn (2020)
- NCSBA Fall Law Conference – Electoral Redistricting for School Boards after the 2020 Census, co-presenter with Blake Esselstyn (2020)
- North Carolina Judicial College, UNC School of Government – Governmental Immunity (2022)
- Faires, et al v. State Board of Elections, et al., No. 84A16 (May 6, 2016)
Appellate Cases:
- K12 Insight, LLC v. Johnston Cty. Bd. of Educ., 796 Fed. Appx. 166 (4th Cir. 2020)
- Everett v. Pitt Cty. Bd. of Educ., 788 F.3d 132 (4th Cir. 2015)
- Cabarrus Cty. Bd. of Educ. v. Dep’t of State Treasurer, Ret. Sys. Div., 374 N.C. 3 (2020)
- Richardson v. State, 368 N.C. 158 (2015)
Deminski v. State Bd. of Educ., 837 S.E.2d 611 (N.C. Ct. App. 2020)
- Times News Publ’g Co. v. Alamance-Burlington Bd. of Educ., 252 N.C. App. 247 (2017)
- Ragland v. Nash-Rocky Mount Bd. of Educ., 247 N.C. App. 738 (2016)
- Marsico v. New Hanover Cty. Bd. of Educ., 242 N.C. App. 384 (2015)
- Times News Pub. Co. v. Alamance-Burlington Bd. of Educ., 242 N.C. App. 375 (2015)
- Ne. Raleigh Charter Acad., Inc. v. Wake Cty. Bd. of Educ., 232 N.C. App. 522 (2014)
- N. Carolina State Bd. of Educ. v. N. Carolina Learns, Inc., 231 N.C. App. 270 (2013)
- Royal v. Pate, 183 N.C. App. 156 (2007)
Webb ex rel. Bumgarner v. Nicholson, 178 N.C. App. 362 (2006)
- Nicholson v. Jackson Cty. Sch. Bd., 170 N.C. App. 650 (2005)
Amicus Briefs:
- Rone ex rel. Roseboro v. Winston-Salem/Forsyth Cty. Bd. of Educ., 220 N.C. App. 401 (2012)
- Moore v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Bd. of Educ., 185 N.C. App. 566 (2007)
- Willett v. Chatham Cty. Bd. of Educ., 176 N.C. App. 268 (2006)
- Shavitz v. City of High Point, 177 N.C. App. 465 (2006)
- Farrell v. Transylvania Cty. Bd. of Educ., 175 N.C. App. 689 (2006)
- Anthony Butler v. Scotland County Board of Education; NC COA17-501
- Francis X DeLuca, et al. v. Josh Stein, et al.; Wake County Superior Court 16 CVS 12965
- In Re Victorius Rone, et al. v. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education; NC COA 11-642