2016 North Carolina judicial elections

Last updated

One justice 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 8, 2016, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years.

Contents

Elections for seats on both courts were technically nonpartisan, but under a bill passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory in 2015, House Bill 8, the party affiliations of Court of Appeals candidates were printed on the ballot. Court of Appeals candidates of all party affiliations would still run in one primary under the law, while the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, would advance to the general election. [1] Primary elections would have been held on March 15, 2016, for seats with more than two candidates, but in the end, only two candidates filed for each Court of Appeals seat. [2]

Supreme Court (Edmunds seat)

The seat held by Robert H. Edmunds Jr. was on the 2016 ballot. Under current state law, Edmunds would have to relinquish his seat in 2021 if he was re-elected in 2016, because he would reach mandatory retirement age.

A 2015 change in state law was set to make Edmunds the first sitting justice who had the option of running in a retention election rather than running against other candidates. Edmunds chose that option, which would have meant that the state's voters would only be able to vote "for" or "against" Edmunds in the November election. [3] [4] If a majority of voters voted "against," the Governor would appoint a new justice to serve until the next general election. Critics cast this as an attempt by Republicans in the legislature to maintain the 4-3 Republican majority on the Court. Edmunds is a Republican, as is the current governor, who would appoint any replacement. [5] Attorney Sabra Faires and two voters filed a lawsuit, claiming the new election method violated the Constitution of North Carolina and was not an election at all, but a referendum. Faires said she wanted to run for the seat. [6] A three-judge panel found in favor of Faires and the two voters, and the State Board of Elections established a new candidate filing period of March 16–25. If more than two candidates filed for the seat, there would be a primary election on June 7. [7]

Edmunds and Faires both filed to run for the seat on March 16. Wake County Superior Court Judge Michael R. Morgan then filed on March 21, and was joined later by attorney Daniel Robertson, setting up a primary. [8]

The state Supreme Court later split 3-3 (with Edmunds recusing himself) on the constitutionality of the retention election, leaving the lower court ruling intact. [9]

Morgan defeated Edmunds in the general election, garnering more than 54 percent of the vote. [10] Morgan's victory gave the Supreme Court a Democratic majority for the first time since the 1998 elections. [11]

Primary election

Candidates

  • Robert H. Edmunds Jr. (Republican), incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina [12]
  • Sabra Jean Faires (Unaffiliated), former assistant North Carolina Secretary of Revenue [12]
  • Michael R. Morgan (Democratic), Wake County superior court judge [12]
  • Dan Robertson (Republican), former general counsel for the Bank of Carolinas [12]

Results

Nonpartisan primary results [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Robert H. Edmunds (incumbent) 235,405 48.01%
Nonpartisan Michael R. Morgan 168,498 34.36%
Nonpartisan Sabra Jean Faires59,04012.04%
Nonpartisan Daniel Robertson27,4015.59%
Total votes490,344 100.0%

General election

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Bob
Edmunds		Mike
Morgan		Undecided
Public Policy Polling August 5–7, 2016830 (LV)± 3.4%21%21%58%
Public Policy Polling June 20–21, 2016947 (RV)± 3.2%28%24%48%

Results

Results by county map: .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Morgan--70-80% Morgan--60-70% Morgan--50-60% Edmunds--50-60% 2016 North Carolina Supreme Court election results map by county.svg
Results by county map:
  Morgan—70-80%
  Morgan—60-70%
  Morgan—50–60%
  Edmunds—50-60%
North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice (Edmunds seat) election, 2016 [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Michael R. Morgan 2,157,927 54.47%
Nonpartisan Robert H. Edmunds (incumbent)1,803,42545.53%
Total votes3,961,352 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

Court of Appeals (Dietz seat)

The seat held by Richard Dietz, who was appointed to the Court in 2014, was on the 2016 ballot.

General election

Candidates

Results

North Carolina State Court of Appeals (Dietz Seat) election, 2016 [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Richard Dietz (incumbent) 2,353,604 53.5
Democratic Vince Rozier2,048,36746.5
Total votes4,401,971 100.0
Republican hold

Court of Appeals (Geer seat)

Judge Martha Geer announced on March 16, 2016, that she would resign to return to private practice. Consequently, the seat was on the November 2016 ballot. Because of the timing of Geer's resignation, there would be no primary election. [17] In the interim, Gov. Pat McCrory appointed Chief District Court Judge Wendy Enochs to fill the seat. [18]

Hunter Murphy, a Republican who ran for a Court of Appeals seat in 2014, declared his candidacy on March 17, 2016. [19] Murphy is a trial attorney in Waynesville and was endorsed by retired North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Robert (Bob) Orr, the North Carolina Troopers Association and the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police.

Wake County District Court Judge Margaret Eagles, a Democrat, was also a candidate for the seat, and was endorsed by Judge Geer, former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell, and the NC Police Benevolent Association. [20] [21] [22]

Forsyth County-based attorney Donald R. Buie, not affiliated with any party, was also a candidate for this seat. [23]

General election

Candidates

  • Donald R. Buie (Unaffiliated) [15]
  • Margaret Eagles (Democratic), Wake County district court judge [15]
  • Hunter Murphy (Republican), trial attorney [15]

Results

North Carolina State Court of Appeals (Geer Seat) election, 2016 [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Hunter Murphy 2,159,193 48.7
Democratic Margaret Eagles2,021,76945.6
Independent Donald Ray Buie252,7565.7
Total votes4,433,718 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

Court of Appeals (Hunter seat)

The seat held by Robert N. Hunter Jr. was on the 2016 ballot. Under current state law, Hunter would have to relinquish his seat in 2019 if he was re-elected in 2016, because he will reach mandatory retirement age.

General election

Candidates

Results

North Carolina State Court of Appeals (Hunter Seat) election, 2016 [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Robert Hunter (incumbent) 2,403,059 54.4
Democratic Abraham Jones2,016,55245.6
Total votes4,419,611 100.0
Republican hold

Court of Appeals (Stephens seat)

The seat held by Linda Stephens was on the 2016 ballot. A Democrat, she ran for re-election, and was endorsed by former Chief Judges of the Court of Appeals John C. Martin, Sidney S. Eagles Jr., and Gerald Arnold. [25]

Under current state law, Stephens would have to relinquish her seat in 2022 if she was re-elected in 2016, because she will reach mandatory retirement age.

General election

Candidates

Results

North Carolina State Court of Appeals (Stephens Seat) election, 2016 [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Phil Berger 2,233,730 50.2
Democratic Linda Stephens (incumbent)2,211,63149.8
Total votes4,445,361 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

Court of Appeals (Zachary seat)

The seat held by Valerie Zachary was on the 2016 ballot. She was appointed to the seat in 2015 to replace retiring Judge Sanford Steelman. Zachary, a Republican, ran for a full term.

General election

Candidates

Results

North Carolina State Court of Appeals (Zachary Seat) election, 2016 [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Valerie Zachary (incumbent) 2,361,232 53.8
Democratic Rickye McKoy-Mitchell2,027,07846.2
Total votes4,388,310 100.0
Republican hold

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert F. Orr</span> American judge (born 1946)

Robert F. "Bob" Orr is an American attorney, jurist, and politician who served as an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1995 to 2004. Orr was a Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina in 2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election.

Robert Holt Edmunds Jr. is an American lawyer, formerly an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 North Carolina Council of State election</span>

Elections to choose members of the North Carolina Council of State were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

Several judges of the North Carolina Supreme Court and the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the state's two appellate courts, were elected on November 2, 2004. The 2004 United States presidential election, 2004 United States House election, 2004 United States Senate election, 2004 North Carolina Council of State election and 2004 North Carolina General Assembly election were held on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Democratic Party</span> Political party in North Carolina

The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

One justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and five judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 2, 2010, on the same day as the U.S. Senate election, U.S. House elections, and other state-level elections. North Carolina judicial elections are non-partisan. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. All incumbent judges and justices who sought re-election won their respective races, except for Judge Cressie Thigpen of the Court of Appeals, who had been appointed shortly before the election and lost North Carolina's first statewide election to use Instant-runoff voting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

Several justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court and judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected to eight-year terms by North Carolina voters on November 5, 2002. Party primary elections were held on Sept. 10. This was the last year in which statewide judicial elections were partisan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

One justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and three judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the elections for Governor and other offices. North Carolina judicial elections are non-partisan. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. In three of the four races, incumbents were re-elected to their seats, but incumbent Court of Appeals Judge Cressie Thigpen was defeated by Chris Dillon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 North Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2016 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 North Carolina judicial elections</span>

One justice of the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court and three judges of the 15-member North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 6, 2018, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. These elections were partisan for the first time since the elections of 2002. A law passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2017 cancelled primary elections for judicial elections in 2018 only, meaning that an unlimited number of candidates from any party could run in the general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 North Carolina's 9th congressional district election</span> Uncertified election

The 2018 election in North Carolina's 9th congressional district was held on November 6, 2018, to elect a member for North Carolina's 9th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives.

<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">2018 Kentucky elections</span>

Kentucky state elections in 2018 were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with the primary elections being held on May 22, 2018. These midterm elections occurred during the presidency of Republican Donald Trump and the governorship of Republican Matt Bevin, alongside other elections in the United States. All six of Kentucky's seats in the United States House of Representatives, nineteen of the 38 seats in the Kentucky State Senate, all 100 seats in the Kentucky House of Representatives, and one of the seven seats on the Kentucky Supreme Court were contested. Numerous county and local elections were also contested within the state.

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

The North Carolina Council of State elections of 2020 were held on November 3, 2020, to select the ten officers of the North Carolina Council of State. These elections coincided with the presidential election, elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the Senate and elections to the North Carolina General Assembly and top state courts. Primary elections were held on March 3, 2020, for offices for which more than one candidate filed per party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Wisconsin elections</span> U.S. State, Federal, Judicial and local elections

The 2020 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 3, 2020. All of Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election, as well as sixteen seats in the Wisconsin State Senate and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Voters also chose ten electors to represent them in the Electoral College, which then participated in selecting the president of the United States. The 2020 Fall Partisan Primary was held on August 11, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Michigan elections</span>

This is a list of elections in the US state of Michigan in 2020. The office of the Michigan Secretary of State oversees the election process, including voting and vote counting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Arizona elections</span>

The 2022 Arizona elections were held in the state of Arizona on November 8, 2022, coinciding with the nationwide general election. All six executive offices were up for election, as well as a U.S. Senate seat, all of the state's U.S. House of Representatives seats, and the state legislature.

<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. ↑ News & Observer: NC House votes to add party labels to Court of Appeals elections
  2. ↑ Duke Chronicle
  3. ↑ NC Appellate Practice Blog
  4. ↑ Associated Press: NC Justice Edmunds to run for re-election in up-or-down vote
  5. ↑ Independent Weekly: Meet the N.C. GOP's latest racket: rigging the state Supreme Court
  6. ↑ WRAL: Retention elections for justices challenged in court
  7. ↑ Press release from State Board of Elections
  8. ↑ List of Candidates from State Board of Elections Archived 2016-03-21 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ NC Supreme Court opinion
  10. ↑ NC State Board of Elections Nov. 8 judicial election results
  11. ↑ The Times-News
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Talented crop running for Supreme Court". The Charlotte Observer. May 26, 2019.
  13. ↑ "06/07/2016 OFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "11/08/2016 OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Blythe, Anne (November 5, 2016). "NC voters see party affiliation on the ballot for nonpartisan NC Court of Appeals races". Raleigh News & Observer.
  16. ↑ Bonner, Lynn (September 14, 2015). "Wake judge to run for appeals court". Raleigh News & Observer.
  17. ↑ WRAL: Court of Appeals Judge Geer leaving for private practice Archived 2016-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ "Governor McCrory announces judicial appointment, July 28, 2016". Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  19. ↑ Twitter
  20. ↑ Facebook
  21. ↑ Facebook
  22. ↑ Eagles for Judge campaign site
  23. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2016-07-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ↑ Candidate List from NC State Board of Elections [ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ Judge Linda Stephens Announces the Launch of her 2016 Re-Election Campaign
  26. ↑ "Phil Berger Jr. seeking seat on N.C. Court of Appeals". Greensboro News & Record. December 17, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.