{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Ms. Sam Hamadani","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMahsaman \"Sam\" Hamadani is the incumbent Democratic District Court Judge for North Carolina's 10th Judicial District, Seat 1 (Wake County), first appointed to the seat by Governor Roy Cooper in 2017 [1][2]. She ran unopposed for re-election in 2022, winning 100% of the vote (33,634 votes cast) [1], and is on the ballot again in the November 3, 2026 general election after both parties' March 2026 primaries were canceled [1].\n\n## Background and education\nHamadani was born in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated to the United States with her family as an infant. She grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, attended Forsyth Country Day School, and earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law [2].\n\n## Career\nBefore joining the bench, Hamadani worked in U.S. Senator Joe Biden's office, the North Carolina Department of Justice, and as a public defender [2]. In 2017 she became, in her own words, \"the first Iranian American judge in North Carolina, and quite possibly the Southeast\" [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Sam Hamadani - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Sam_Hamadani) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[2] [Meet Judge Sam Hamadani \u2013 Candidate for Wake County District Court](https://paaia.org/CMS/meet-judge-sam-hamadani-candidate-wake-county-district-court.aspx) \u2014 Iranian American Contributions Project (PAAIA), August 21, 2017","firstname":"Mahsaman","lastname":"Hamadani","middlename":"S","suffix":null,"token":"a251f8e3c6a85956"},"token":"gGkD0_dd6VyZ0rta"}],"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 10E Seat 01"}