{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Michael (Mike) Stone","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMichael Allan Stone, who goes by Mike, is a Republican candidate for North Carolina Superior Court Judge, District 29 Seat 01, on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1]. His 2026 candidate filing lists an official North Carolina court-system email address (@nccourts.org), consistent with his current service as a sitting judge [1].\n\n## Background and education\nStone earned his undergraduate degree from Methodist College and his J.D. from Campbell University School of Law [2].\n\n## Career\nBefore his appointment to the bench, Stone practiced law as a solo practitioner at the Law Firm of Michael A. Stone, PA, and previously with the firms of Hatley & Stone, PA and Stone & Associates [2].\n\n## Office history\nGovernor Pat McCrory (R) appointed Stone to the North Carolina District Court for Judicial District 16A on July 21, 2014 [2]. He won election to a full term in 2016, defeating Angela Carter with 50.26% of the vote [2]. In 2018 he was elected judge of Judicial District 19D of the North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division, defeating Gregory Thompson with 58.3% of the vote; he assumed that office on January 1, 2019, for a term ending December 31, 2026 [2]. He is now seeking election to Superior Court Judge District 29 Seat 01, which as currently drawn covers Hoke and Moore counties [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Listing (bulk CSV), accessed 2026-07-20 \u2014 https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv\n[2] [Michael Stone (North Carolina district court judge) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Michael_Stone_(North_Carolina_district_court_judge)) (cited as last resort; no primary-government or editorial-journalism source found covering this judge's career history)","firstname":"Michael","lastname":"Stone","middlename":"Allan","suffix":null,"token":"7d7104ee03d9147d"},"token":"5itWDcomJzjFmcTr"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":null,"o.office":"superior_court_judge","office":"superior_court_judge","officedescription":"In North Carolina, a superior court judge presides over the general-jurisdiction trial court \u2014 felony criminal cases and civil cases above the district-court limit \u2014 riding a rotation among the counties of the judicial district. Decisions are subject to appellate review.","officequalities":"- Trial-court judge of general civil and criminal jurisdiction \u2014 presides over jury and bench trials, dispositive motions, and felony sentencing.\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 the substantive and procedural law that controls, and the published precedent.\n- Docket management across a rotating district while honoring due process.\n- Clear written and oral explanation of rulings, so the parties and the public can follow the reasoning.","officeterm":8,"officetitle":"Superior Court Judge","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc Superior Court Judge District 29 Seat 01"}