RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Paul Newby is now on the job as head of North Carolina’s judicial branch.

Newby took the oath for chief justice of the state Supreme Court early Friday, shortly after midnight at a small ceremony at his home, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Newby, 65, has been on the court since 2005 and most recently was senior associate justice. He is the 30th chief justice in North Carolina history.

Newby, a Republican, was elevated to the top position after defeating Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in November by just 401 votes from nearly 5.4 million cast. Beasley, a Democrat and first Black woman to serve as chief justice, is no longer on the seven-member court.

Newby will participate in a public swearing-in ceremony next Wednesday that will be broadcast online.

Two other new associate justices are joining the court following their election victories — Republicans Tamara Barringer and Phil Berger Jr.

Newby, a Randolph County native, went to Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill law school. He served as a federal prosecutor before getting elected to the Supreme Court in 2004. He co-wrote a book that analyzes the North Carolina Constitution and its history.