Who Are These Judges on My Ballot? NC’s 2026 Supreme Court & Court of Appeals Races Explained

Okay… be honest. You get to the judicial races on your ballot and suddenly you see a bunch of names under:

NC SUPREME COURT NC COURT OF APPEALS

…and you’re sitting there like: “Okayyyyy… but what do these people actually DO Because judicial races usually don’t get the same attention as president, governor, Congress, sheriff, school board, or county commissioners. But these judges can serve eight-year terms.  So before we even talk about the people running, we need to understand what we’re actually electing them to do.

First: Think About the Courts Like a Ladder

Say a case is heard right here in Wilson County. Maybe it’s a child-custody dispute. Maybe someone was convicted of a crime. Maybe it’s a disagreement involving property. Maybe a business or individual sued somebody. Cases like these generally begin in one of North Carolina’s trial courts, such as District or Superior Court.

And yes, that means the courthouse you pass right here in downtown Wilson. But sometimes the case doesn’t end there. If someone believes there was a legal error in how the case was handled, there may be an opportunity to appeal. That’s when those names you see under NC Court of Appeals start to matter.

And What Does the NC Supreme Court Do?

The North Carolina Supreme Court is the highest court in the state.

There are seven members, one chief justice, and six associate justices.

The Supreme Court reviews certain cases from the Court of Appeals, cases from the North Carolina Business Court, cases in which the death penalty has been imposed, and other matters that fall within its jurisdiction.

WOKE Translation:

If the Court of Appeals is upstairs… The NC Supreme Court is basically the top floor.

Its decisions can determine how North Carolina law is interpreted across the state.

When it comes to questions of North Carolina law, there isn’t another North Carolina court above it. That means a case can begin with one person, one family, one county, or one dispute…but the legal question involved can eventually affect how the law is understood statewide.

“Okay… But I’m Not Going to Court. Why Should I Care?”

THIS is where people can lose interest.

Because it’s easy to hear Supreme Court and think:

“I’m not going to court. What does that have to do with me?”

Potentially, a lot. Think about the kinds of issues courts may be asked to interpret:

A custody dispute affecting a family.

A criminal conviction.

A disagreement over someone’s property.

A dispute involving a state agency.

A challenge involving election law.

A question about whether government followed the North Carolina Constitution.

An employment dispute.

An education-related legal question.

You don’t have to personally be standing inside a courtroom for court decisions to help shape the rules that government, businesses, lawyers, judges, and individuals operate under.

That’s why judicial races matter outside the courthouse too.

Wait… We ELECT These Judges?

Yep. North Carolina voters elect Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges statewide. So these aren’t just “Raleigh’s judges.”If you’re voting in Wilson…Greenville…Rocky Mount…Charlotte…Asheville…or anywhere else in North Carolina…you vote in these races too. And appellate judges and justices serve eight-year terms. Eight. Years.

So that judicial race toward the bottom of your ballot?

The person elected could still be sitting on that court well into the 2030s.

Who’s Running in 2026?

Every North Carolina voter will see four statewide appellate court contests in the November 3, 2026 general election.

NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 1

Anita Earls

Democrat

Sarah Stevens

Republican

NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 1

John S. Arrowood

Democrat

Michael C. Byrne

Republican

NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 2

Tobias (Toby) Hampson

Democrat

 George Cooper Bell

 Republican

NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 3

Christine Marie Walczyk

Democrat

Craig Collins

Republican

And yes, party affiliations appear with these statewide appellate judicial candidates.

But knowing the letter beside somebody’s name still doesn’t tell you everything about the person who could serve on the court for eight years. So let’s talk about research.

How Do I Research Somebody Running for Judge?

This is where judicial races are different. A city council candidate might tell you:“I’m going to work on affordable housing.” A county commissioner might talk about: “Funding our schools.” A candidate for judge has a different job. Judges aren’t legislators. They’re not elected to write a state budget, set your property-tax rate, build a park, or decide how much money your school system receives. Their job is to interpret and apply the law in the cases that come before them.

So when you’re researching judicial candidates, look at things like:

Legal experience

How long have they practiced law? What kinds of legal work have they done?

Judicial experience

Have they already served as a judge? At what level?

Professional background

Where did they go to law school? Have they worked as prosecutors, defense attorneys, private attorneys, government attorneys, or in other areas of law?

Their own description of their judicial philosophy

How do they describe the role of a judge? How do they say they approach interpreting laws and constitutions?

Their record

If they’ve already served as a judge, you can look at written opinions, previous judicial experience, and other public information about their work. And don’t stop at:

“Somebody on Facebook told me to vote for this person.”

Research them yourself. The North Carolina State Board of Elections publishes an official Judicial Voter Guide with candidate-submitted information about their education, experience, occupation, and judicial philosophy.

That’s a good place to start.

Here’s Why I Really Wanted to Write This

We talk A LOT about local elections. And we should. Who sits on your school board matters. Who becomes sheriff matters. Who sits on county commission matters. But understanding government also means understanding what happens after a law is passed or when a legal dispute enters the court system. Legislators write laws. Executive officials carry out laws. Courts interpret and apply laws. Different jobs. Different powers. All worth understanding.

One More Thing Before You Vote

Don’t spend two months researching the candidates at the top of your ballot…

then get to the judicial section and say: “Ummm… eeny, meeny, miny, moe.” You’ve got time. Look at the candidates. Read their backgrounds. Look at their experience. Read how they describe the role of the courts. Then make your own informed decision.

The Bottom Line

Your ballot isn’t finished when you get past Congress, the legislature, sheriff, school board, or county commissioners.

Keep going.

Those names under NC Supreme Court and NC Court of Appeals matter too.

Because somebody can walk into a courthouse right here in Eastern North Carolina with a very local problem…and the legal question in that case can eventually reach judges elected by voters across the entire state. So don’t skip the judges just because you don’t recognize their names. Learn who they are. Learn what the courts do. Then make your choice.

Stay informed. Stay engaged. Stay WOKE.