Justice Brady’s judicial philosophy is, first of all, to uphold his oath of office and "support, maintain, and defend the Constitution." Justice Brady has a strong commitment to the rule of law, which means that no one person is above the law, and judges are no exception. He believes that the judiciary of North Carolina must remain independent and a separate co-ordinate branch of the government of the State of North Carolina, free from undue interference. Justice Brady understands the role of judges is to interpret the law and Constitution as written rather than rewrite the law based upon a judge’s own policy preferences and thereby thwart the express will of the people.

Edward Thomas Brady is the son of the late Thomas Brady and Virginia Briggs Brady. He has been married to B. Dianne Brady for forty years and they have two adopted adult sons, Thomas Robert (Bobby) and Ryan Ashley Brady. Mrs.Brady is the senior attorney in The Brady Law Firm in historic downtown Fayetteville. Mrs. Brady received her B.A. from La Verne College, CA in 1978 and her J.D. from Campbell University in 1982. Bobby Brady is attending Campbell University. Ryan Brady is a United States Marine infantryman LCpl with the Second Battalion, Eighth Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He recently returned from combat deployment in Helmand province southern Afghanistan.

Justice Brady is a Southern Baptist. He and his family are members of Village Baptist Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Justice Brady also served as a member of the personnel committee. Justice Brady and his wife, Dianne, have been designated on a number of occasions to be messengers from Village Baptist Church to the North Carolina State Baptist Convention and the national Southern Baptist Convention, Phoenix, AZ, Indianapolis, IN, Memphis, TN, and Greensboro, NC. Justice Brady is also a member of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Board of Visitors, Wake Forest, NC. Justice Brady was nominated and elected to the Board of Directors of the Baptist State Conventionof North Carolina.

Justice Brady enlisted in the United States Army in 1965 as a private during the Vietnam conflict and retired in 1993 from the United States Army Reserve as a Colonel (O-6), having held Military Police, Special Operations, Aviation Command and Staff assignments. In 1968, while on active duty, Justice Brady was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with Valor Device for heroism and 2nd-18th Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device for heroism and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star. In 1966, he graduated from Infantry Officer Candidate School and earned the Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Special Forces Tab, and was subsequently awarded the Senior Army Aviation Badge.

In October 1972, Justice Brady graduated from The Department of Treasury’s Law Enforcement School, Washington, D.C. Justice Brady was selected and designated as a Special Agent, criminal investigator with The Department of the Treasury, with post of duty Milwaukee, WI.

Justice Brady received his B.A. degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1972; M.A. degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, 1977; and J.D. degree from California Western School of Law 1978 where he earned the Dean’s Award.

While in service to our nation, Justice Brady graduated from the United States Army’s Aviation School, Fort Rucker, AL fixed wing course (airplane) and rotary wing qualification course (helicopter). While serving in both the active and reserve components of the United States Army, Justice Brady attended numerous advanced officer education schools including the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington D.C., and the United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA.

Between 1978 and 2003, Justice Brady practiced law in Fayetteville, North Carolina with the firm Brady & Brady. For two decades, Justice Brady’s area of practice was litigation in both state and federal courts in Eastern North Carolina. As a citizen-soldier, Justice Brady represented members of the armed forces in both administrative matters and general court-martials under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In 2002, the people of the "Old North State" elected Justice Brady to serve as an associate justice on their State's highest court.

Justice Brady is a member of the American Bar Association, Judicial Division, Appellate Judges’ Conference, and a representative from the Division to the Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary. In his pursuit of judicial excellence, Justice Brady has attended and participated in numerous seminars and judicial conferences nationwide.

As a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, Justice Brady was elected to a three-year term on the Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities Law Section Council (2004-2007).

In addition to being admitted to practice in North Carolina, Justice Brady is a member of both the Georgia and the District of Columbia bar. He has been admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the United States Army Court of Military Review, and the United States Court of Military Appeals.

Justice Brady has a strong interest in general aviation and is licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a commercial pilot (fixed wing, multi-engine, instrument rated and helicopter). Additionally, Justice Brady is a General class licensed amateur radio operator W4ETB and has been awarded the Century Club VHF/UHF designation. Justice Brady has been a life member of the National Rifle Association since 1966 and is an avid participant in shooting sports. For four decades, Justice Brady has enjoyed motorcycling. He has traveled across the nation and currently is the owner of a classic Harley-Davidson Sportster and a Road King Classic.