{"biography":"Edwin Duane Clontz is a Democratic candidate on the 2026 North Carolina ballot, though the specific office for which he is running is not identified in the available sources. He currently serves as a district court judge for the 28th Judicial District, which covers Buncombe County, North Carolina [1].\n\nClontz earned his undergraduate degree from Western Carolina University and received his Juris Doctor from the Southern Illinois University School of Law [1]. Prior to joining the bench, he worked as the chief assistant clerk of the Superior Court in Buncombe County and also served as a magistrate for the same county [1].\n\nIn April 2011, Governor Bev Perdue appointed Clontz to the district court bench [1]. He subsequently ran for election in 2014, winning a primary with 35.1% of the vote and a general election with 52.9% of the vote, securing a term that expired on December\u202f31,\u202f2018 [1].\n\nAs a district court judge, Clontz presides over a range of criminal and civil matters, including bond hearings, probable\u2011cause hearings, and other pre\u2011trial proceedings. Recent news reports show him making bond decisions in high\u2011profile cases, such as maintaining a $100,000 bond for an 18\u2011year\u2011old charged with first\u2011degree murder in November\u202f2023 [10], and denying a request to revoke bond for a man accused of detonating an explosive device in July\u202f2023, while imposing additional release conditions [12].\n\nClontz\u2019s judicial conduct has drawn scrutiny. In 2020, the North Carolina Supreme Court publicly reprimanded him for conducting a probable\u2011cause hearing without the defendant\u2019s counsel present, finding that his actions \u201cdemonstrated a disregard for the defendant\u2019s statutory and constitutional rights\u201d [11]. The reprimand stemmed from a July\u202f2018 hearing in which he proceeded despite the appointed attorney\u2019s tardiness.\n\nOverall, Clontz\u2019s record reflects typical duties of a district court judge\u2014overseeing criminal prosecutions, managing bail and bond issues, and ensuring courtroom procedure\u2014combined with a notable disciplinary episode that was widely reported in state legal media.\n\nNo campaign website, email address, or telephone number for Judge Clontz was identified in the sources consulted. The Ballotpedia entry provides only a generic placeholder image and does not list personal contact information.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Edwin D. Clontz - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Edwin_D._Clontz)\n- [8] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [10] [Judge rejects bond change for teen charged in Buncombe County shooting death](https://wlos.com/news/local/judge-rejects-bond-buncombe-county-shooting-death-jail-first-degree-murder-charged-firing-gun-occupied-dwelling-court-defendant-prosecutors-edwin-clontz)\n- [11] [Buncombe Co. judge Clontz reprimanded | North Carolina Lawyers Weekly](https://nclawyersweekly.com/2020/12/29/buncombe-co-judge-clontz-reprimanded/)\n- [12] [Judge refuses to revoke bond of man accused of throwing explosives in downtown Asheville](https://wlos.com/news/local/request-denied-judge-refuses-to-revoke-bond-of-man-accused-in-july-4th-explosion-vance-monument-asheville-duncan-small)","campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_040_seat_05","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc District Court Judge District 40 Seat 05"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Edwin","fullname":"Edwin Duane Clontz","lastname":"Clontz","middlename":"Duane","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_040_seat_05","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 40 Seat 05","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_040_seat_05","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 40 Seat 05","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"district_court_judge","office_title":"District Court Judge","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Edwin Duane Clontz is a Democratic candidate in the 2026 NC election and serves as a Buncombe County district court judge with a mixed record of judicial decisions and a 2020 reprimand.","terms":[],"token":"1eb170ff699e8b0a"}