{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Cheryl Andrews McDonald","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nCheryl Andrews McDonald is the District Court Judge for North Carolina Judicial District 31, serving Forsyth County, following her appointment by Governor Josh Stein [5]. She is the Democratic candidate for District Court, District 31 Seat 4, in the 2026 election [1].\n\n## Background and education\nMcDonald received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law [5].\n\n## Career\nBefore her judicial appointment, McDonald was a solo practitioner in Winston-Salem focusing on civil and criminal litigation. She previously worked as an attorney at Holton Law Firm, PLLC, beginning in 2010, and served four years in the Forsyth County Public Defender's Office [5]. Announcing her appointment, Governor Stein credited her with \"nearly twenty years of legal experience and a commitment to justice\" [5].\n\n## Office history\nOn December 4, 2025, Governor Josh Stein appointed McDonald to the District Court for Judicial District 31, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge George Cleland IV [5]. She was sworn in shortly after as Forsyth County's newest district court judge [7].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Cheryl Andrews McDonald - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Cheryl_Andrews_McDonald)\n[5] [Governor Stein Announces District Court Appointment | NC Governor](https://governor.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2025/12/04/governor-stein-announces-district-court-appointment)\n[7] [Cheryl Andrews McDonald sworn in as Forsyth County district court judge | WXII 12](https://www.wxii12.com/article/cheryl-andrews-mcdonald-sworn-in-as-forsyth-county-district-court-judge/69962216)","firstname":"Cheryl","lastname":"Mcdonald","middlename":"Andrews","suffix":null,"token":"e2dc78341c094f59"},"token":"XB6ur2OWZf7oBPaY"}],"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 31 Seat 04"}