Karen D Mccallum

Karen D. McCallum is the incumbent judge for North Carolina District Court, District 26, Seat 20. She first assumed office on January 1, 2019, and her current term runs until December 31, 2026. McCallum is a Democrat and is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election; the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary was cancelled, allowing her to advance automatically to the ballot ¹.

McCallum earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Temple University in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law in 2000 ⁸. After completing her education, she served in the United States Army from 1990 to 1993 ⁸. She then spent fourteen years as a conflict attorney with the North Carolina Office of the Public Defender (2002‑2016) before joining the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office as a senior assistant district attorney on the Habitual Felon Trial Team in 2016 ⁸.

In the 2018 general election, McCallum defeated fellow Democrat Khalif Rhodes, receiving 56.2% of the vote (22,272 votes) to Rhodes’s 43.8% (17,336 votes) ¹. She was re‑elected without opposition in 2022, garnering 100% of the vote (268,258 votes) ¹. As a district court judge, she presides over a range of criminal, civil, and family matters within Mecklenburg County, a role she has held since her initial election in 2018.

McCallum’s professional background combines extensive courtroom experience as both a public defender and a prosecutor, providing her with a broad perspective on the criminal justice system. Her military service, legal education, and decades of public‑sector legal work underpin her qualifications for the district court bench. She remains registered as a Democrat and continues to serve the residents of District 26 while campaigning for another term in 2026 ⁸¹.

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