{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Rhonda L. Patterson-Wrighten","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Rhonda L. Patterson\u2011Wrighten is the incumbent judge of the North Carolina District Court, District 26, Seat 21, and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. She assumed office on January\u202f1,\u202f2023, and her current term runs through December\u202f31,\u202f2026; the Democratic primary for the seat was canceled, allowing her to advance directly to the general ballot [1].\n\nPatterson\u2011Wrighten earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Romance Languages from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003 and a Juris Doctor with honors from the same institution\u2019s School of Law in 2006 [9][11].\n\nAfter law school she began her career at two nationally recognized firms\u2014Alston\u202f+\u202fBird LLP and KL\u202fGates LLP\u2014before becoming a partner at Offit\u202fKurman LLP. She later founded and served as managing attorney of The Patterson Law Office, PLLC, focusing on domestic and civil litigation. Her bar admissions include the State Bar of Georgia (2006) and the State Bar of North Carolina (2009) [11].\n\nOn the bench, Judge Patterson\u2011Wrighten has spent the past three years presiding primarily in family and domestic\u2011violence courtrooms, handling both civil and criminal matters. She emphasizes efficiency, responsiveness, and a respectful courtroom atmosphere, noting that she \u201cbadge into a courtroom\u2026 with patience and to extend the grace that we all need\u201d while making legally sound decisions and holding people accountable when necessary [9].\n\nBeyond her judicial duties, she is active in numerous professional and community organizations, including the North Carolina Bar Association, Mecklenburg County Bar Association (where she serves on the Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee), Council for Children\u2019s Rights, A\u202fChild\u2019s\u202fPlace, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She also teaches as an adjunct professor of Business Law at Johnson C.\u202fSmith University and volunteers with local schools and churches [11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Rhonda Patterson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Rhonda_Patterson)\n- [2] [North Carolina elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2026)\n- [5] [Candidate Lists | NCSBE](https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists)\n- [9] [R. Patterson for Judge](https://rpattersonforjudge.com/)\n- [10] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [11] [Judicial Candidate Bio - Rhonda Patterson](https://www.meckbar.org/index.cfm?pg=bio-rhonda-patterson)","firstname":"Rhonda","lastname":"Patterson-Wrighten","middlename":"Lynn","suffix":null,"token":"145faa9131914628"},"token":"lRJBfAGUn07D3L-T"}],"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 26 Seat 21"}