Josephine Kerr Davis

Current office and 2026 campaign

Josephine Kerr Davis is the incumbent Democratic judge for District 16B Seat 3 of the North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division, a four-year term that began January 1, 2024 and ends December 31, 2026. She is seeking re-election in the November 3, 2026 general election, after the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary was cancelled, leaving her unopposed in the primary ¹.

Background and education

Born and raised in the Durham area, Davis has lived in the district for four decades ².

Career

Davis has more than fifteen years of experience across criminal and civil law, having worked as an assistant public defender in Fayetteville, a prosecutor, an assistant attorney general in the North Carolina Department of Justice, and an appeals hearing officer ². Early in her career she served at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, representing indigent defendants facing capital charges ². She also worked with the Land Loss Prevention Project on civil-rights cases involving African-American and female farmers, and later presided over unemployment-insurance hearings as a quasi-judicial official for the Employment Security Commission ². Davis cites former Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks as a model of experience, courage, and judicial temperament, qualities she says she brings to the bench, and describes her involvement in cases that challenged North Carolina's Racial Justice Act and advocated for reforms in capital jury selection ². Her community involvement includes the People's Alliance, Junior League, and Jack and Jill of America ².

Office history

Davis was first elected to the Superior Court in 2024, defeating Dawn Baxton with 65.1% of the vote ¹.

Sources