Updated 8/9/24

We are lucky to have outstanding Democratic candidates to support for statewide judicial offices in 2024!

There is one seat up on the State Supreme Court and there are three seats up on the Court of Appeals. Republicans currently control both courts, but we have an opportunity to take them back by 2028 before new maps are drawn for the next decade.

All of these seats have eight-year terms, so the stakes for each race are high – and each win will have long-term effects.

NORTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT

Republicans currently hold five of the seven State Supreme Court seats. Only one seat – Justice Allison Riggs’ seat – is up for election this year. It’s critical that we defend it!

Justice Allison Riggs

Justice Riggs was appointed Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court by Gov. Roy Cooper in September 2023. She is filling the remaining term of Justice Michael Morgan and is running for a full term in 2024. As a civil rights lawyer, Justice Riggs has spent her career fighting for equal justice under the law for every person, regardless of wealth or skin color.

Prior to her appointment to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2022 and then to the North Carolina Supreme Court, Justice Riggs served as co-executive director for programs and chief counsel for voting rights at the Durham-based Southern Coalition for Social Justice, advocating for those who had been marginalized and disenfranchised. As a civil rights lawyer, Justice Riggs argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in several landmark redistricting cases. Learn more about Justice Riggs or donate to her campaign.

Read our interview with Justice Riggs.

NORTH CAROLINA COURT OF APPEALS

Democrats hold only 4 of the 15 Court of Appeals Seats, and only 3 seats are up for election this year. We must defend Judge Carolyn Thompson’s seat and elect Martin Moore and Ed Eldred to flip two more seats blue in November.

We have the opportunity to take back the Court of Appeals by 2028. Winning these seats is critical!

Judge Carolyn Thompson

Judge Carolyn Thompson

Judge Carolyn Thompson was appointed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals by Gov. Roy Cooper in September 2023. She is filling the remaining term of Justice Allison Riggs upon her appointment to the N.C. Supreme Court and is now running for a full term. The Oxford resident is running to make a difference in the service of equal justice, as required by our laws and Constitution.

Judge Thompson is a former District Court judge, Superior Court judge, and deputy commissioner for the Industrial Commission. As a District Court judge, she successfully advocated for changes to the district’s court docket to better support victims of domestic violence. Judge Thompson is a state-certified mediator for Superior Court cases and cases involving complex family financial disputes. She also serves as a volunteer Teen Court Judge and youth mentor to help first-time youth offenders accept responsibility for their conduct and learn about the court system. Learn more about Judge Thompson or donate to her campaign.

Read our interview with Judge Thompson.

Martin Moore

Martin Moore is a Buncombe County Commissioner and an attorney. He began his law career as a public defender and now runs a mediation and appellate law practice. He is running for North Carolina Court of Appeals because he believes that our courts should reflect the people and values of North Carolina and that our state deserves judges who are committed to integrity, fairness, and equal justice for all.

During the 2022 election cycle, Moore was the only Democrat in North Carolina to flip a Republican-held county commissioner seat, winning 55 percent to 44 percent against NASCAR Hall of Fame member Robert Pressley. In the county, Moore serves on committees that work on early childhood development, criminal justice, and juvenile crime prevention. Learn more about Martin Moore or donate to his campaign.

Read our interview with Martin Moore.

Ed Eldred

Edward “Ed” Eldred is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer whose practice, based in Carrboro focuses on criminal and civil matters. He is running for the North Carolina Court of Appeals to preserve the rights of North Carolinians and contribute to a more balanced judiciary.

Eldred has extensive law experience. He previously clerked for two judges at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, practiced with a large firm in Raleigh, and managed his own law practice for 13 years, arguing hundreds of matters in the local criminal and civil district courts and briefing over 200 appeals. He has argued before the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court and won reversals for clients in a variety of civil and criminal matters. Learn more about Ed Eldred or donate to his campaign.

Read our interview with Ed Eldred.

Canvasses to talk with voters about our critical court races begin March 10th. Find all of our scheduled voter outreach events here!