2014 North Carolina judicial elections

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Four justices of the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court and four judges of the 15-member North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 4, 2014, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years.

Contents

Assessing the election results, Politifact writer Louis Jacobson noted that Supreme Court races in North Carolina and other states yielded "better-than-average results" for Democrats, who otherwise suffered heavy defeats across the country. "In a series of hotly contested North Carolina contests, two Democratic-leaning judges [Ervin and Hudson] prevailed, one Democrat [Beasley] was leading in a very close race, and one Republican [Chief Justice Martin] was re-elected," Jacobson wrote. [1] At the Court of Appeals level, two Democrats, Lucy Inman and Mark Davis, and one Republican, John Tyson, were elected in contested races, while another Republican, Donna Stroud, was re-elected without opposition. [2]

North Carolina ranked second among all states in total spending on judicial election campaigns in 2014. [3] [4]

Supreme Court (Chief Justice)

Chief Justice Sarah Parker stepped down from her position on the Court in 2014 because she reached the mandatory retirement age of 72. Her seat would have been on the November 2014 election ballot in any event, since she was elected Chief Justice in 2006 to an eight-year term.

Candidates

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Mark
Martin		Ola
Lewis		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling September 11–14, 20141,266 (LV)± 2.8%16%7%—77%

Results

North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Mark Martin (incumbent) 1,754,799 72.24%
Nonpartisan Ola Lewis674,23227.76%
Total votes2,429,031 100.0%
Republican hold

Supreme Court (Martin seat)

The seat formerly held by Associate Justice Mark Martin was on the ballot. Justice Martin was appointed to the position of chief justice, effective Sept. 1, and ran for that seat.

Candidates

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Sam J.
Ervin IV		Robert N.
Hunter, Jr.		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling September 11–14, 20141,266 (LV)±  2.8%21%13%—66%

Results

North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice (Martin seat) election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Sam J. Ervin IV 1,324,261 52.60%
Nonpartisan Robert N. Hunter, Jr. (incumbent)1,193,49247.40%
Total votes2,517,753 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

Supreme Court (Hudson seat)

Associate Justice Robin E. Hudson ran for re-election to a second term. [10]

Candidates

Primary election

Results

North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice (Hudson seat) primary election, 2014 [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Robin E. Hudson (incumbent) 381,836 42.56%
Nonpartisan Eric L. Levinson 328,062 36.57%
Nonpartisan Jeanette Doran187,27320.87%
Total votes897,171 100.0%

General election

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Robin E.
Hudson		Eric
Levinson		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling September 11–14, 20141,266 (LV)±  2.8%18%10%—72%
Public Policy Polling August 14–17, 2014856 (LV)± 3.4%19%11%—71%

Results

North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice (Hudson seat) election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Robin E. Hudson (incumbent) 1,283,478 52.46%
Nonpartisan Eric L. Levinson 1,163,02247.54%
Total votes2,446,500 100.0%
Democratic hold

Supreme Court (Beasley seat)

Associate Justice Cheri Beasley ran for election to a full term in her own right after she was appointed to the seat by former Governor Bev Perdue to fill a vacancy. [14]

Beasley won election to her first full term with 50.1 percent of the vote. [7] The margin was small enough that a recount would be allowed, if Robinson requested it. [15] He filed such a request for a recount on Nov. 17. [16] After the recount only added a net 17 votes to Robinson's total, he conceded and Beasley was declared the winner on Nov. 25. [17]

Candidates

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Cheri
Beasley		Mike
Robinson		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling September 11–14, 20141,266 (LV)±  2.8%13%9%—78%

Results

North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice (Beasley seat) election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Cheri Beasley (incumbent) 1,239,763 50.11%
Nonpartisan Mike Robinson1,234,35349.89%
Total votes2,474,116 100.0%
Democratic hold

Court of Appeals (Robert C. Hunter seat)

The seat held by Judge Robert C. Hunter (not to be confused with his colleague on the Court, Robert N. Hunter, Jr.) was on the ballot. Hunter announced on Aug. 14, 2013, that he would not seek re-election. [19]

Judges Lucy Inman and Bill Southern were both candidates for the seat. Judge Inman is a special Superior Court judge and was appointed to that position in 2010 by former Governor Beverly Perdue. Prior to that, she was a trial lawyer. Judge Southern currently serves on the District Court bench for Stokes and Surry Counties. He was elected to that position in 2008 and in 2012. Prior to that, he served as an assistant district attorney in Stokes and Surry Counties. [20] [21]

Inman won election to her first term on the North Carolina Court of Appeals with 51.9 percent of the vote. [7]

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Lucy
Inman		Bill
Southern		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling September 11–14, 20141,266± 2.8%9%8%—83%

Results

North Carolina Court of Appeals seat election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Lucy Inman 1,227,800 51.94%
Nonpartisan Bill Southern1,136,26848.06%
Total votes2,364,068 100.00%

Court of Appeals (Stroud seat)

Judge Donna Stroud ran unopposed for re-election. [22]

Results

North Carolina Court of Appeals seat election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Donna Stroud (incumbent) 1,801,800 100.00%
Total votes1,801,800 100.00%

Court of Appeals (Davis seat)

Judge Mark A. Davis ran for a full term after serving out the remainder of Judge Cheri Beasley's unexpired term. [23] Beasley was appointed to the Supreme Court.

District Court Judge Paul A. Holcombe also ran for this seat. [24] Paul Holcombe has been a District Court Judge for Johnston, Harnett and Lee Counties since January 2009. [25]

Davis won his first full term by taking 58.8 percent of the vote. [7]

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Mark A.
Davis		Paul A.
Holcombe		OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling September 11–14, 20141,266± 2.8%8%7%—85%

Results

North Carolina Court of Appeals seat election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Mark A. Davis (incumbent) 1,354,647 58.77%
Nonpartisan Paul Holcombe950,30041.23%
Total votes2,304,947 100.00%

Court of Appeals (John C. Martin seat)

On July 9, 2014, Chief Judge John C. Martin announced his retirement, effective August 1, 2014, creating another opening to be filled by voters in the general election. Because of the date of his retirement, no primary election was held for the seat. [26] Governor Pat McCrory appointed Judge Lisa Bell to hold the Martin seat for the remainder of the year, but she was not among the candidates who ran for a full term. [27]

Nineteen candidates filed for the special election. [28] They included former Court of Appeals Judge John Arrowood of Charlotte, [29] Raleigh attorney Betsy Bunting, District Court Judge Lori G. Christian, [30] Raleigh bankruptcy attorney Jeffrey Cook, Raleigh Deputy Industrial Commissioner and former Court of Appeals staff lawyer J. Brad Donovan, [31] Hertford attorney Daniel Patrick Donahue, Raleigh attorney Sabra Faires, [32] former Superior Court judge Abe Jones, New Bern attorney Ann Kirby, Deputy Industrial Commissioner Keischa Lovelace, [33] Raleigh attorney Marty Martin, Haywood County trial attorney Hunter Murphy, [34] Raleigh attorney Joseph "Jody" Newsome, Raleigh attorney Patricia "Tricia" Shields, [35] Raleigh attorney Elizabeth Davenport Scott, former Court of Appeals Judge John M. Tyson of Cumberland County, [36] Brunswick County District Court Judge Marion Warren, Greensboro attorney and former State Board of Elections member Chuck Winfree, and Yadkinville attorney Valerie Johnson Zachary. [37]

Judge Tyson won his second full term on the court with 23.9 percent of the vote. [7] Arrowood placed second with 14.4 percent. No other candidate took more than 10 percent of the vote.

Results

North Carolina Court of Appeals seat election, 2014 [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan John M. Tyson 557,700 23.84%
Nonpartisan John S. Arrowood 336,83914.40%
Nonpartisan Keischa Lovelace226,1599.67%
Nonpartisan Marion Warren143,2796.13%
Nonpartisan Elizabeth Davenport Scott131,3305.61%
Nonpartisan Marty Martin120,2815.14%
Nonpartisan Hunter Murphy103,3614.42%
Nonpartisan Paul Holcombe96,4684.12%
Nonpartisan Valerie Johnson Zachary92,3613.95%
Nonpartisan Lori G. Christian88,8193.80%
Nonpartisan Tricia Shields79,3573.39%
Nonpartisan Daniel Patrick Donahue66,1682.83%
Nonpartisan Abe Jones 59,7122.55%
Nonpartisan Chuck Winfree52,9782.26%
Nonpartisan Jeffrey M. Cook48,3362.07%
Nonpartisan Jody Newsome38,5441.65%
Nonpartisan Betsy Bunting36,1631.55%
Nonpartisan Sabra Jean Faires31,7591.36%
Nonpartisan J. Brad Donovan29,5801.26%
Total votes2,339,194 100.00%

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Mark D. Martin is an American jurist who served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina from 2014 through 2019. He was appointed by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory to become Chief Justice on September 1, 2014 upon the retirement of Sarah Parker. Martin was already running for the seat in the 2014 general election.

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Patricia Ann "Pat" Timmons-Goodson is an American judge and politician who served on the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2006 to 2012. She previously served on the United States Commission on Civil Rights and is a former nominee to be a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Timmons-Goodson ran for Congress in 2020.

J. Douglas McCullough is an American lawyer and former judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. McCullough retired in 2017.

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Barbara Jackson is an American attorney and jurist who was elected in 2010 to an eight-year term on the North Carolina Supreme Court.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

One justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and six judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected to eight-year terms by North Carolina voters on November 4, 2008. This coincided with the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, gubernatorial, and Council of State elections.

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Cheri Lynn Beasley is an American attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2019 to 2020; she was appointed an associate justice in 2012. Beasley had previously served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and as a district court judge in Cumberland County, North Carolina.

Samuel James Ervin IV is a North Carolina lawyer and jurist who served on the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2015 to 2022. He previously served as a state Utilities Commissioner and as a judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He is the grandson of U.S. Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr. and the son of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Judge Sam J. Ervin III.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

Three justices of the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court and five judges of the 15-member North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 3, 2020, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. These elections were conducted on a partisan basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 North Carolina judicial elections</span> Supreme Court elections

Two justices of the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court and four judges of the fifteen-member North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 8, 2022, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. These elections were conducted on a partisan basis.

References

  1. ↑ "Republicans' Election Night wave: It was big". Tampa Bay Times.
  2. ↑ News & Observer
  3. ↑ News & Observer, Oct. 29, 2015
  4. ↑ "The New Politics of Judicial Elections, 2013-14". Archived from the original on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  5. ↑ News & Observer Under the Dome Morning Memo: Florida GOP governor takes N.C. Democrats approach
  6. ↑ WWAY-TV
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "11/04/2014 Official General Election Results – Statewide". North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  8. ↑ News & Observer Under the Dome: Judge Ervin will run again for Supreme Court
  9. ↑ "NC Court of Appeals Judge Robert N. Hunter, Jr. files paperwork to run for NC Supreme Court". Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  10. ↑ News & Observer: Hudson seeking re-election to NC Supreme Court
  11. ↑ Staff Report (February 26, 2014). "Snyder, Kryn enter NC Senate race". Salisbury Post.
  12. ↑ Charlotte Observer Archived 2014-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "05/06/2014 Official Primary Election Results – Statewide". North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  14. ↑ News & Observer Under the Dome: Justice Beasley will run for her seat in 2014
  15. ↑ News & Observer
  16. ↑ News & Observer: NC Supreme Court candidate Mike Robinson, Senate hopeful Tom Bradshaw file for recounts
  17. ↑ "Voting machine problems do not change election outcome". WRAL.com. November 25, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Voter Information".
  19. ↑ "Judge Robert C. Hunter to retire from NC Court of Appeals". 14 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "News & Observer Under the Dome". Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  21. ↑ News & Observer: Surry County judge announces appeals court candidacy
  22. ↑ "NC State Board of Elections: Candidate filing list" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  23. ↑ "Mark Davis will run to retain his seat on N.C. Court of Appeals". Greensboro News and Record.
  24. ↑ "Official Candidate Filings, NC State Board of Elections" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  25. ↑ "Johnston County | North Carolina Judicial Branch". www.nccourts.gov.
  26. ↑ "The Associated Press". Archived from the original on July 26, 2014.
  27. ↑ Governor McCrory Appoints Judge Lisa Bell to Court of Appeals
  28. ↑ "19 candidates file for N.C. Court of Appeals seat; 5 file for Alamance Superior Court seat".
  29. ↑ "Charlotte Observer". Archived from the original on 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  30. ↑ Judgepedia
  31. ↑ News & Observer: Industrial Commission deputy will run for appeals court
  32. ↑ News & Observer
  33. ↑ "N.C. Industrial Commission Deputy Commissioners' Biographies". www.ic.nc.gov.
  34. ↑ "Hunter Murphy webpage". HunterMurphyForJudge.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
  35. ↑ "Hedrick Gardner" . Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  36. ↑ "NCPoliticalNews.com | Judge John Tyson files as Candidate for Judge of Court of Appeals". Archived from the original on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  37. ↑ "State Board of Elections: Special Judicial Candidate List" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
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