Judge Orlando Hudson retires after 4 decades on the bench

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A longtime, high-profile judge in Durham County is retiring.

Judge Orlando Hudson is stepping down from the bench at the end of 2022 after serving for more than 40 years.

Hudson is one of the most recognizable judges in the county, due in large part to presiding over some major trials.

For example, he was the judge during the Michael Peterson trial. That trial is one of the longest in North Carolina history and its case has spawned several documentaries and dramatic retellings.

Hudson also presided over the Duke Lacrosse case, in which three players were wrongly accused of rape. That case also garnered headlines across the country for an extended period of time and has become the subject of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary.