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.
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. 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.News & Observer
North Carolina ranked second among all states in total spending on judicial election campaigns in 2014.News & Observer, Oct. 29, 2015
Supreme Court (Chief Justice)
Chief Justice Sarah Parker stepped down from her position on the Court in August 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. Governor Pat McCrory appointed senior Associate Justice Mark Martin to occupy the Chief Justice position in the interim. Chief Justice Martin ran for the Chief Justice position for a full eight-year term. Martin was challenged in the general election by fellow Republican Ola Lewis, a Superior Court Judge.
Mark Martin, incumbent Chief JusticeNews & Observer Under the Dome Morning Memo: Florida GOP governor takes N.C. Democrats approach Ola Lewis, Resident Judge of the Brunswick County Superior Court (District 13B)WWAY-TV
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error MarkMartin OlaLewis Other UndecidedPublic Policy PollingPublic Policy Polling September 11–14, 2014 1,266 (LV) ± 2.8% 16% 7% — 77%
Supreme Court (Seat 3)
Justice Robin Hudson ran for re-election to a second term.News & Observer: Hudson seeking re-election to NC Supreme Court Notably, Hudson was the only incumbent challenged by more than 1 candidate, triggering a primary election, where the top two candidates advanced to the general election.
Jeanette Doran, chair of the North Carolina Division of Employment Security Board of Review Robin Hudson, incumbent Associate Justice Eric Levinson, Judge of the Mecklenburg County Superior Court (District 26C)Charlotte Observer
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error Robin E.Hudson EricLevinson Other UndecidedPublic Policy Polling September 11–14, 2014 1,266 (LV) ± 2.8% 18% 10% — 72%Public Policy PollingPublic Policy Polling August 14–17, 2014856 (LV) ± 3.4% 19% 11% — 71%
Supreme Court (Seat 4)
Justice Cheri Beasley ran for a full term after she was appointed to the seat by former Governor Bev Perdue in 2012.News & Observer Under the Dome: Justice Beasley will run for her seat in 2014
Beasley won election to her first full term with 50.1 percent of the vote. The margin was small enough that a recount would be allowed, if Robinson requested it.News & Observer He filed such a request for a recount on Nov. 17.News & Observer: NC Supreme Court candidate Mike Robinson, Senate hopeful Tom Bradshaw file for recounts After the recount only added a net 17 votes to Robinson's total, he conceded and Beasley was declared the winner on Nov. 25.
Cheri Beasley, incumbent Associate Justice Michael L. Robinson, private practice attorney
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error CheriBeasley MikeRobinson Other UndecidedPublic Policy Polling September 11–14, 2014 1,266 (LV) ± 2.8% 13% 9% — 78%
Supreme Court (Seat 5)
Governor McCrory appointed Robert Hunter Jr., a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, to the seat previously held by Mark Martin after his elevation to Chief Justice. Justice Hunter ran for a full eight-year term, and was challenged by his colleague on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, Sam Ervin IV, who narrowly lost a race for Associate Justice in 2012.
Sam Ervin IV, incumbent Judge of the North Carolina Court of AppealsNews & Observer Under the Dome: Judge Ervin will run again for Supreme Court Robert Hunter Jr., incumbent Associate Justice
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error Sam J.Ervin IV Robert N.Hunter, Jr. Other UndecidedPublic Policy Polling September 11–14, 2014 1,266 (LV) ± 2.8% 21% 13% — 66%
Court of Appeals (Seat 7) Judge Mark Davis ran for a full term after serving out the remainder of Judge Cheri Beasley's unexpired term. Beasley was appointed to the Supreme Court.
District Court Judge Paul A. Holcombe also ran for this seat. Paul Holcombe has been a District Court Judge for Johnston, Harnett and Lee Counties since January 2009.
Davis won his first full term by taking 58.8 percent of the vote.
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror Mark Davis Paul Holcombe Other UndecidedPublic Policy Polling September 11–14, 2014 1,266 ± 2.8% 8% 7% — 85%
Court of Appeals (Seat 8) The seat held by Judge Bob Hunter (not to be confused with his colleague on the Court, Robert Hunter Jr.) was on the ballot. Hunter announced on Aug. 14, 2013, that he would not seek re-election.
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.News & Observer: Surry County judge announces appeals court candidacy
Inman won election to her first term on the North Carolina Court of Appeals with 51.9 percent of the vote.
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror LucyInman BillSouthern Other UndecidedPublic Policy Polling September 11–14, 2014 1,266 ± 2.8% 9% 8% — 83%
Court of Appeals (Seat 9) Judge Donna Stroud ran unopposed for re-election.
Court of Appeals (Seat 10) On July 9, 2014, Chief Judge John 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. 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.Governor McCrory Appoints Judge Lisa Bell to Court of Appeals
Nineteen candidates filed for the special election. They included former Court of Appeals Judge John Arrowood of Charlotte, Raleigh attorney Betsy Bunting, District Court Judge Lori G. Christian,Judgepedia Raleigh bankruptcy attorney Jeffrey Cook, Raleigh Deputy Industrial Commissioner and former Court of Appeals staff lawyer J. Brad Donovan,News & Observer: Industrial Commission deputy will run for appeals court Hertford attorney Daniel Patrick Donahue, Raleigh attorney Sabra Faires,News & Observer former Superior Court judge Abe Jones, New Bern attorney Ann Kirby, Deputy Industrial Commissioner Keischa Lovelace, Raleigh attorney Marty Martin, Haywood County trial attorney Hunter Murphy, Raleigh attorney Joseph "Jody" Newsome, Raleigh attorney Patricia "Tricia" Shields, Raleigh attorney Elizabeth Davenport Scott, former Court of Appeals Judge John Tyson of Cumberland County, Brunswick County District Court Judge Marion Warren, Greensboro attorney and former State Board of Elections member Chuck Winfree, and Yadkinville attorney Valerie Zachary.
Judge Tyson won his second full term on the court with 23.9 percent of the vote. Arrowood placed second with 14.4 percent. No other candidate took more than 10 percent of the vote.
References
State Board of Elections: Judicial Officeholders
External links State Board of Elections: General Election Judicial Voter Guide Videos of Judicial Candidate Forums by UNC-TV