A former state Supreme Court justice has been named the first chief justice of the new Supreme Court of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The band’s tribal council appointed Harry Martin this month to a six-year term heading their new two-tier court system. He’ll lead the three-member Supreme Court, supervise three trial judges and administer both courts. “It’s an interesting, challenging opportunity to come in and create a new court from the ground up,” Martin said Thursday. “It’s going to be a hard job, but the people are very much interested in having more independence.” Martin is commuting to the full-time job from his home in Asheville.