 In 1794, Haywood he was appointed to the bench of the Superior Court of North Carolina, but resigned in 1800 to defend a longtime friend, North Carolina Secretary of State James Glasgow, who, along with several other prominent citizens, had been charged with land warrant fraud.This scandal proved so unpopular that Haywood's own reputation was injured in defending Glasgow.Following the trial in which Glasgow was convicted, Haywood moved to Raleigh and returned to private law practice.