North Carolina voters will decide four key appellate court seats on November 3, 2026
In short: In the upcoming 2026 general election, North Carolina voters will cast ballots for one Supreme Court associate justice and three Court of Appeals judges. These judicial contests determine who interprets the law in the state's highest and intermediate appellate courts, where judges serve eight-year terms on the bench.
The North Carolina Supreme Court, the state's highest judicial body, consists of one chief justice and six associate justices. This court hears cases involving the death penalty, as well as appeals from the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Business Court. The Court of Appeals serves as the intermediate appellate court, where 15 judges work in rotating panels of three to review legal procedures and judicial interpretations from District and Superior Courts, alongside administrative agency appeals.
For the 2026 general election, the ballot features one contest for a Supreme Court associate justice seat and three contests for Court of Appeals judge seats. Candidates for these positions are listed on the ballot in an order determined by a random drawing conducted under state law. While the state previously maintained a Public Campaign Fund to support voter education through a $3 tax check-off and a $50 surcharge on State Bar dues, that fund was repealed in 2013 and is now depleted.
The candidates bring diverse professional backgrounds to these races. For the Supreme Court seat, incumbent Anita Earls, who has served as a Senior Associate Justice since 2018, faces challenger Sarah Stevens, a private practice attorney and former state legislator. The three Court of Appeals contests feature candidates such as Michael C. Byrne, John S. Arrowood, George Cooper Bell, Tobias Hampson, Craig Collins, and Christine Marie Walczyk. These elections remain a critical mechanism for the state's judicial oversight, as the selected judges will hold their positions for eight-year terms, directly influencing the interpretation of state law and the balance of powers within the North Carolina government.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Judicial Voter Guide: 2026 General Election | NCSBE
- Also: 2026 North Carolina judicial elections
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