{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Frances McDuffie Britt","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nFrances McDuffie Britt is a District Court Judge for Cumberland County (Fayetteville), North Carolina, and a Democratic candidate for re-election to District Court Judge, District 14, Seat 2, on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1][3]. She was appointed to the court by Governor Roy Cooper in May 2020, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert Stiehl. The Laurinburg Exchange's coverage of her 2020 appointment refers to the Cumberland County seat as \"Judicial District 12,\" while North Carolina's 2026 candidate filings list the same Cumberland County seat as District 14 [1][3].\n\n## Background and education\nBritt is a native of Laurinburg in Scotland County, North Carolina. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Duke University. Before pursuing law, she taught English for ten years at a preparatory school in Laurinburg. She then earned her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2013 [1].\n\n## Career\nWhile a law student, Britt worked as a summer associate at Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing and Myers, LLP in 2012. Upon completing her law degree in 2013, she joined the Cumberland County Public Defender's Office, where she served as an assistant public defender until her 2020 judicial appointment [1][2].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Cooper appoints McDuffie as District Court judge \u2013 Laurinburg Exchange](https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/36372/cooper-appoints-mcduffie-as-district-court-judge/)\n- [2] [Judge Frances Britt \u2013 Trellis.Law](https://trellis.law/judge/frances.britt)\n- [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing list (District Court Judge District 14 Seat 02), accessed 2026-07-20","firstname":"Frances","lastname":"Britt","middlename":"Mcduffie","suffix":null,"token":"dfaac893cafcbe52"},"token":"kekmS-VekDzXrwUE"}],"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 14 Seat 02"}