{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMahsaman \"Sam\" Hamadani is the incumbent Democratic District Court Judge for North Carolina's 10th Judicial District, Seat 1 (Wake County), first appointed to the seat by Governor Roy Cooper in 2017 [1][2]. She ran unopposed for re-election in 2022, winning 100% of the vote (33,634 votes cast) [1], and is on the ballot again in the November 3, 2026 general election after both parties' March 2026 primaries were canceled [1].\n\n## Background and education\nHamadani was born in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated to the United States with her family as an infant. She grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, attended Forsyth Country Day School, and earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law [2].\n\n## Career\nBefore joining the bench, Hamadani worked in U.S. Senator Joe Biden's office, the North Carolina Department of Justice, and as a public defender [2]. In 2017 she became, in her own words, \"the first Iranian American judge in North Carolina, and quite possibly the Southeast\" [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Sam Hamadani - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Sam_Hamadani) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[2] [Meet Judge Sam Hamadani \u2013 Candidate for Wake County District Court](https://paaia.org/CMS/meet-judge-sam-hamadani-candidate-wake-county-district-court.aspx) \u2014 Iranian American Contributions Project (PAAIA), August 21, 2017","campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_10E_seat_01","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc District Court Judge District 10E Seat 01"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Mahsaman","fullname":"Mahsaman S Hamadani","lastname":"Hamadani","middlename":"S","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_10E_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 10E Seat 01","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_10E_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 10E Seat 01","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":"Mahsaman Samaneh Hamadani is a Democratic District Court Judge for North Carolina District 10E Seat 1, serving since 2017.","terms":[],"token":"a251f8e3c6a85956"}