{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"George Guise","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nJohn George Guise is a Superior Court Judge for District 26C, Seat 01 [1]. He is running in the 2026 election for this position as a candidate for Superior Court Judge District 26-C [1]. His campaign website states that he \"will protect individuals' rights, respect all parties, uphold the rule of law, and work to ensure justice is served\" [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [George Guise Campaign for Superior Court Judge District 26C](https://www.guiseforsuperiorcourt.com/)","firstname":"John","lastname":"Guise","middlename":"G","suffix":null,"token":"fafbd2f51a52b98c"},"token":"vlzWUr3VUtFZXOYq"},{"candidatename":"Caleb Newman","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nCaleb Hill Newman is a Democratic candidate for NC Superior Court Judge District 26C Seat 1, covering Mecklenburg County. He ran in the 2026 primary on a platform of \"Equal Justice Under Law.\"\n\nNewman's judicial philosophy centers on \"Equal Justice Under Law,\" requiring that every person receive due process and equal protection regardless of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or political affiliation.\n\n## Background and education\nNewman earned his law degree and, during law school, served as a student law clerk for two federal judges \u2014 one at the Federal District Court for the Western District of North Carolina and one at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.\n\n## Career\nNewman began his career as a Deputy Clerk of Superior Court in Mecklenburg County, gaining direct experience in courtroom administration. He then joined the Federal Public Defender's Office in Charlotte, where he represented individuals in complex federal criminal cases. He later served as a senior Assistant District Attorney in the Cabarrus County District Attorney's Office before moving to the Rowan County DA's Office. As a homicide and felony prosecutor, he has handled drug trafficking, sexual assault, child exploitation, and capital cases, and notably prosecuted the first Death by Distribution trial in North Carolina history. He also served as an adjunct instructor at Central Piedmont Community College, teaching criminal justice, criminal law, constitutional law, and corrections, and as a guest lecturer at UNC Charlotte's Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Meet Caleb \u2013 Caleb Newman for Superior Court Judge](https://www.newmanforjudge.com/meetcaleb)\n- [2] [Political Beat Primary Candidate Guide: NC Superior Court Judge District 26C Seat 1 \u2013 Yahoo News](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/political-beat-primary-candidate-guide-062131232.html)\n","firstname":"Caleb","lastname":"Newman","middlename":"Hill","suffix":null,"token":"f3c9a067b7a072e8"},"token":"ydqPqa3FNT6CvhDg"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":null,"o.office":"superior_court_judge","office":"superior_court_judge","officedescription":"In North Carolina, a superior court judge presides over the general-jurisdiction trial court \u2014 felony criminal cases and civil cases above the district-court limit \u2014 riding a rotation among the counties of the judicial district. Decisions are subject to appellate review.","officequalities":"- Trial-court judge of general civil and criminal jurisdiction \u2014 presides over jury and bench trials, dispositive motions, and felony sentencing.\n- Judicial temperament: the willingness to listen, deliberate, and apply the law dispassionately to people whose lives are deeply affected by the outcome.\n- Impartiality and ethics under the North Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct, including recusal when conflicts arise.\n- Working knowledge of the substantive and procedural law that controls, and the published precedent.\n- Docket management across a rotating district while honoring due process.\n- Clear written and oral explanation of rulings, so the parties and the public can follow the reasoning.","officeterm":8,"officetitle":"Superior Court Judge","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc Superior Court Judge District 26C Seat 01"}