{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Melinda H. Crouch","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMelinda H. Crouch is a Democratic candidate for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 6, Seat 3, serving New Hanover and Pender counties, on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [2]. Ballotpedia's most recent profile of Crouch (last updated after her 2016 campaign) describes her as a judge for the state's 5th Judicial District, the same New Hanover/Pender counties the 2026 filing lists as District 6 [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\nCrouch earned her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Juris Doctor from Campbell University Law School [1].\n\n## Office history\nCrouch won re-election to the district court bench in 2014 with 53.1% of the vote, in a term that expired December 31, 2018; she ran unopposed for re-election in 2010 [1]. In 2016 she sought a seat on the North Carolina Superior Court, 2nd Division, District 5B, finishing third with 24.7% of the vote behind Kent Harrell and Connie Jordan [1].\n\nIn a July 2014 North Carolina Bar Association survey of practicing lawyers, Crouch was rated 3.94 on integrity and impartiality, 3.87 on legal ability, 4.06 on professionalism, 3.88 on communication, 3.86 on administrative skills, and 3.88 on overall performance, each out of 5 [1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Melinda H. Crouch - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Melinda_H._Crouch)\n- [2] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing list (District Court Judge District 06 Seat 03), accessed 2026-07-20","firstname":"Melinda","lastname":"Crouch","middlename":"Haynie","suffix":null,"token":"651b92b24cc59827"},"token":"7FUYXKW10kVX-A4q"},{"candidatename":"Janelle L. Cline","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJanelle Lilley Cline is a Republican candidate for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 6, Seat 3, in the 2026 election. District 6 serves New Hanover and Pender counties, with the district court based in Wilmington. The 2026 general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.\n\n## Background and education\nCline earned her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a master's degree from the University of Maryland College Park, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law.\n\n## Career\nCline began her legal career as a prosecutor with the New Hanover and Pender County District Attorney's Office. She subsequently joined the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, where she continued her prosecutorial work.\n\n## Family\nShe resides in Wilmington with her husband Jason Cline and their three children, Luke, Alice, and Lincoln.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Janelle for Judge](https://janelleforjudge.com/)","firstname":"Janelle","lastname":"Cline","middlename":"Lilley","suffix":null,"token":"a7c8c699a302dba3"},"token":"_F1dtszEelR68PLJ"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":null,"o.office":"district_court_judge","office":"district_court_judge","officedescription":"In North Carolina, a district court judge presides over the high-volume lower trial court \u2014 misdemeanors, smaller civil cases, and most family and juvenile matters (custody, support, domestic violence, abuse/neglect). Many litigants appear without lawyers.","officequalities":"- Judge of a high-volume district court \u2014 misdemeanors, smaller civil cases, and family and juvenile matters, often with unrepresented parties.\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 family, juvenile, and criminal procedure and the precedent that controls.\n- Efficient management of a heavy docket while honoring due process.\n- Accessibility and clarity for the many who appear without counsel.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"District Court Judge","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc District Court Judge District 06 Seat 03"}