Judge Julian Mann has been reappointed as chief judge of the state's Office of Administrative Hearings.

It will be Mann's sixth consecutive four-year term, and four different N.C. chief justices have appointed him to the position over that time period. He was the second person appointed to the post after the office opened in 1986, and he has been there ever since.

"He has a reputation across North Carolina, as well as across the country, for his knowledge of administrative law," said Fred Morrison, a senior administrative law judge who has worked with Mann for decades.

"I think people from both sides of the political spectrum see how well-versed he is in such law and the value he is to this office," he added.

The office works to resolve conflicts arising from administrative law, such as when a citizen objects to an agency's ruling.