{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nMeader Williams Harriss III is a judge of North Carolina's 1st Judicial District [1]. He is running for re-election as District Court Judge, District 1, Seat 3, as a Republican in the November 3, 2026 general election, having filed his candidacy on December 5, 2025 [3].\n\n## Background and education\n\nHarriss earned his bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston in 2001 and his Juris Doctor from Campbell University School of Law in 2004 [1].\n\n## Career\n\nBefore his election to the bench, Harriss practiced law privately and then served as an assistant public defender beginning in December 2008 [1]. He was elected to the 1st Judicial District on November 4, 2014, unopposed, to a term that expired December 31, 2020 [1]; he continues to serve as an active District Court judge, currently assigned to Pasquotank County District Court [2].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Meader W. Harriss, III - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Meader_W._Harriss,_III)\n[2] [Meader Harriss | North Carolina Judicial Branch](https://www.nccourts.gov/judicial-directory/meader-harriss)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing List, accessed 2026-07-20 (https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)","campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_001_seat_03","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc District Court Judge District 01 Seat 03"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Meader","fullname":"Meader Williams Harriss III","lastname":"Harriss","middlename":"Williams","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_001_seat_03","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 01 Seat 03","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_001_seat_03","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 01 Seat 03","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"III","summary":"Meader W. Harriss III is a North Carolina district judge listed as a Republican candidate in 2026, though the office sought is not identified.","terms":[],"token":"0f953a23ac321fa4"}