{"county":null,"description":"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.","district":null,"districtgroup":null,"id":1123,"key":"district_court_judge","lastchangeby":null,"name":null,"next_election":null,"notes":null,"officegroup":null,"partisan":1,"party":null,"qualities":"- 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.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"NC","term_end":null,"term_start":null,"term_years":4,"terms":[],"title":"District Court Judge","type":"judicial","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-07-28 13:14:07"}