Fair Judges 2026 Voter Guide
Fair Judges NC is organized and led by state legal leaders, including former judges, bar presidents, and law school deans. We seek to inform both Bar members and the general public about judicial candidates and the issues before the courts to help bolster public understanding and strengthen accountability in statewide judicial elections and beyond. Fair Judges NC is not affiliated or coordinated by any political party or candidate. To help inform voters about this year’s statewide judicial elections, all statewide judicial candidates were invited to respond to questions about judicial independence and the role of the judiciary.
NC Court of Appeals Seat 1
Michael C. Byrne (R)
John S. Arrowood (D)
Q1: State courts should hold a central role in protecting not only free — but also fair– elections including prohibiting legislators from drawing districts that minimize the voting strength of some groups of voters based on their race, religion, or political affiliation.
Byrne (R): Like any responsible citizen I support free/fair elections, but as an Administrative Law Judge I cannot comment on specific political/policy questions of this kind per State ALJ Model Code, Rules 2.10 and 4.1.
Arrowood (D): Agree. Please note this answer should not be taken as a promise as to how I will rule on any case that might come before me with respect to how districts are drawn. As a judge, I cannot express an opinion on issues that may come before me.
Q2: The state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals should be required to issue rulings within 12 months of hearing a case.
Byrne (R): ALJ Model Code Rule 2.5 and statutes (G.S. 126-34.02) favor prompt disposition of cases. I’d welcome a similar COA rule if the Chef Judge so decides (for Supreme Court cannot comment per Rule 4.1)
Arrowood (D): Agree.
Q3: The right of appeal to the state Supreme Court based on a dissent at the Court of Appeals should be restored.
Byrne (R): I cannot answer this specific policy question due to ALJ Model Code Rule 4.1, but as a former appellate lawyer I generally favor more judicial review, not less.
Arrowood (D): Agree.
Q4: No judge should be disciplined or suspended without due process. The Judicial Standards Commission proceedings should be made transparent. To limit political influence on judicial ethics oversight, the State Bar’s seats on the commission should be restored.
Byrne (R): Agree per Tully v. City of Wilmington (2018). Agree w/transparency but judges’ rights must be protected. Policy question; cannot answer (ALJ Model Code Rule 4.1), but: politics should not influence the process.
Arrowood (D): Agree.
Q5: The General Assembly changed North Carolina’s judicial elections from being non-partisan to partisan, forcing judges to affiliate with a political party in order to gain access to the ballot. Do you believe this increased or decreased the judiciary’s independence?
Byrne (R): Don’t know; I’ll act the same either way.
Arrowood (D): Decreased judicial independence
Q6: Do you support returning to non-partisan judicial elections in NC?
Byrne (R): Policy question; cannot answer.
Arrowood (D): I support returning to non-partisan judicial elections
NC Court of Appeals Seat 2
George C. Bell (R)
Tobias (Toby) Hampson (D)
Q1: State courts should hold a central role in protecting not only free — but also fair– elections including prohibiting legislators from drawing districts that minimize the voting strength of some groups of voters based on their race, religion, or political affiliation.
Bell (R): No response received by deadline.
Hampson (D): Agree. Courts should act as an independent check and balance on the legislature to protect the rights of all North Carolinians, including the right to vote and participate in free and fair elections.
Q2: The state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals should be required to issue rulings within 12 months of hearing a case.
Bell (R): No response received by deadline.
Hampson (D): Agree. While some cases are more complex and may take more time to decide than others, there is no reason any case should languish for more than 12 months.
Q3: The right of appeal to the state Supreme Court based on a dissent at the Court of Appeals should be restored.
Bell (R): No response received by deadline.
Hampson (D): Agree. A dissent signals an area of law in which there is disagreement, which the public, the parties, and the bench and bar should have a right to have resolved and clarified by our State’s highest court.
Q4: No judge should be disciplined or suspended without due process. The Judicial Standards Commission proceedings should be made transparent. To limit political influence on judicial ethics oversight, the State Bar’s seats on the commission should be restored.
Bell (R): No response received by deadline.
Hampson (D): Agree. NC judges are constitutionally mandated to administer justice without favor, denial, or delay. Judicial independence suffers when judges are concerned whether they will be sanctioned for partisan reasons or the public believes that is the case.
Q5: The General Assembly changed North Carolina’s judicial elections from being non-partisan to partisan, forcing judges to affiliate with a political party in order to gain access to the ballot. Do you believe this increased or decreased the judiciary’s independence?
Bell (R): No response received by deadline.
Hampson (D): Decreased judicial independence. The longer judicial races remain partisan, the more partisan those races become. We see that increased partisanship in polarized, non-collegial decisions, including ad hominem attacks on colleagues, which undermines public trust in the courts.
Q6: Do you support returning to non-partisan judicial elections in NC?
Bell (R): No response received by deadline.
Hampson (D): I support returning to non-partisan judicial elections. Earlier in my legal career, I served on the Board of NC Voters for Clean Elections advocating for non-partisan, publicly-financed judicial races.
NC Court of Appeals Seat 3
Craig Collins (R)
Christine M. Walczyk (D)
Q1: State courts should hold a central role in protecting not only free — but also fair– elections including prohibiting legislators from drawing districts that minimize the voting strength of some groups of voters based on their race, religion, or political affiliation.
Collins (R): No response received by deadline.
Walczyk (D): Judges play an important role in securing free and fair elections. When laws or actions disenfranchise voters, courts can review them for constitutional compliance. Judges take an oath to protect the rights of all voters including access to the ballot and equal protection in voting procedures.
Q2: The state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals should be required to issue rulings within 12 months of hearing a case.
Collins (R): No response received by deadline.
Walczyk (D): Agree. But I believe twelve months is too long in the majority of cases. Litigants deserve to have their disputes resolved in a timely fashion.
Q3: The right of appeal to the state Supreme Court based on a dissent at the Court of Appeals should be restored.
Collins (R): No response received by deadline.
Walczyk (D): Agree. This is my personal preference. A dissent indicates that skilled jurists have a meaningful legal disagreement, which should trigger additional review. This will promote consistency and uniformity throughout the state, and increase public confidence in the system.
Q4: No judge should be disciplined or suspended without due process. The Judicial Standards Commission proceedings should be made transparent. To limit political influence on judicial ethics oversight, the State Bar’s seats on the commission should be restored.
Collins (R): No response received by deadline.
Walczyk (D): Stricter, transparent ethics rules regarding recusals, campaign finance, and judicial conduct will increase public trust and forge a stronger judiciary. But I believe judges are entitled to due process and should only be suspended after an impartial investigation and an opportunity to be heard.
Q5: The General Assembly changed North Carolina’s judicial elections from being non-partisan to partisan, forcing judges to affiliate with a political party in order to gain access to the ballot. Do you believe this increased or decreased the judiciary’s independence?
Collins (R): No response received by deadline.
Walczyk (D): Decreased judicial independence. Courts must serve as a check on the other two political branches. Forcing judges to align with a party that controls one or both of these branches erodes public confidence and fuels the perception that judges rule along party lines. This threatens judicial independence and weakens the court system.
Q6: Do you support returning to non-partisan judicial elections in NC?
Collins (R): No response received by deadline.
Walczyk (D): I support returning to non-partisan judicial elections. The politicization of the courts and influence of “dark money” in judicial races has reduced the public’s trust. We can increase confidence and strengthen our courts, by returning to non-partisan races, using public financing, and increasing civics education regarding judicial elections.
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