{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nDonna Fay Forga currently serves as a District Court Judge for District 043 Seat 01 in North Carolina [1]. In December 2024, Chief Justice Paul Newby appointed her to serve as the Chief District Court Judge for District 43 [3][6]. As of May 2026, she is a candidate in the upcoming election for this judicial seat [1].\n\nForga\u2019s legal career includes service on the bench of the 30th Judicial District, which covers Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties [2]. She has previously filed for reelection to the district court in prior cycles [5].\n\n## Background and education\n\nDonna Fay Forga was born in 1964 [4]. She resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina [4]. Her professional background includes a long tenure as a district court judge for the 30th Judicial District, which covers Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties in North Carolina [2]. More than 40 years prior to her judicial service, Forga was a client of Mountain Projects, Inc., where she accessed stable housing, quality childcare, and higher education opportunities that she states transformed her life [2].\n\nSpecific details regarding her early upbringing, religious affiliation, or the specific institutions from which she earned degrees are not provided in the available sources.\n\n## Career\n\nDonna Fay Forga\u2019s professional background includes service as a district court judge for the 30th Judicial District, which presides over Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties in North Carolina [2]. In December 2024, Chief Justice Paul Newby appointed Judge Forga to serve as the Chief District Court Judge for District 43 [3] [6].\n\nPrior to her judicial career, Forga was a client of Mountain Projects, Inc. more than 40 years ago; she has stated that community action programs provided her with access to stable housing, quality childcare, and higher education, which led to opportunities that transformed her life [2]. Official records list her birth year as 1964 and note her residence in Chapel Hill, North Carolina [4].\n\n## Office history\n\nDonna Fay Forga serves as a District Court Judge for the 30th Judicial District, which presides over Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties in North Carolina [2]. In December 2024, Chief Justice Paul Newby appointed her to serve as the Chief District Court Judge for District 43 [3][6].\n\nForga previously ran for election to the District 43 seat. She filed for reelection in a cycle that included other district court judges seeking retention or re-election [5]. In the 2018 general election, she was one of three newcomers elected to the bench in a historic race for District 43 [7].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Donna Forga - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Donna_Forga)\n[2] [IMPACT of MOUNTAIN PROJECTS - Donna Forga is a district ...](https://www.facebook.com/MountainProjects/videos/impact-of-mountain-projects-donna-forga-is-a-district-court-judge-for-the-30th-j/449117211254863/)\n[3] [N.C. Judicial Branch en X: \"Chief Justice Paul Newby has appointed Judge Donna Forga and Judge W. Curtis Stackhouse Chief District Court Judges in Districts 43 and 9, respectively. Read more: https://t.co/X6xxAhUqKQ https://t.co/3azNh3c5v7\" / X](https://x.com/NCCourts/status/1864731671704010866)\n[4] [Donna Forga \u2014 OfficialUSA.com Records](https://www.officialusa.com/names/Donna-Forga/)\n[5] [District court judges file for reelection | News | themountaineer.com](https://www.themountaineer.com/news/district-court-judges-file-for-reelection/article_1592ce16-73d4-11e8-a091-633b8eca1855.html)\n[6] [Newby elevates two to chief District Court judge | North Carolina Lawyers Weekly](https://nclawyersweekly.com/2024/12/06/newby-elevates-two-to-chief-district-court-judge/)\n[7] [Historic judge\u2019s race puts three newcomers on bench](https://smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/2235-historic-judge%E2%80%99s-race-puts-three-newcomers-on-bench)","campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_043_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 43 Seat 01"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Donna","fullname":"Donna Fay Forga","lastname":"Forga","middlename":"Fay","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_043_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 43 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":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_043_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 43 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":"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":[]}],"summary":"Donna Fay Forga serves as a District Court Judge for the 30th Judicial District in North Carolina and was appointed Chief District Court Judge for District 43.","terms":[],"token":"b24d4e31b1b859e0"}