{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nDarrell B. Cayton Jr. currently serves as a District Court Judge for District 002, Seat 01 [1]. He is a Democrat running for re-election in the 2026 cycle and is confirmed running unopposed for the NC District Court Judge Seat 1 race in the November 3, 2026 general election [8]. Cayton has established a campaign presence under the name \"Darrell Cayton, Jr. for District Court Judge\" on Facebook [4].\n\n## Background and education\n\nThe available sources do not contain information regarding his birthplace, year of birth, upbringing, religion, or specific educational background such as schools attended or degrees earned.\n\n## Career\n\nDarrell B. Cayton Jr. is an attorney and District Court Judge in Washington, North Carolina [6]. In February 2016, a new law practice opened in Washington; sources do not explicitly identify Cayton as a founder of that specific firm, instead highlighting other attorneys such as Jacinta Jones and Maria Bruner [7].\n\n## Office history\n\nSources give differing accounts of how Cayton reached the bench. Ballotpedia's own election-history page states he was first elected to the 2nd Judicial District Court in 2010, defeating Watsi M. Sutton with 62.86% of the vote, and was re-elected unopposed in 2014 for a term expiring December 31, 2018; that page lists no separate 2018 election [1]. The Washington Daily News, reporting on November 6, 2018, instead describes Cayton as retaining \"the seat he was appointed to in 2011\" after \"a highly contested race\" [5]. Both accounts are presented here because the two sources conflict and neither has been independently reconciled.\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nIn November 2018, Darrell B. Cayton Jr. retained his District Court Judge seat in a contested race against Sarah Homes, per the Washington Daily News [5].\n\nCayton has drawn public attention for supporting political opponents from the opposing party, including publicly endorsing Republican candidate Lloyd Williams for a District Court Judge seat. Coverage of the endorsement noted it followed public criticism of the incumbent sheriff, who reportedly said he \"worked for the judicial branch\" when discussing the separation of powers [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Darrell B. Cayton, Jr. - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Darrell_B._Cayton,_Jr.)\n[3] [Democrat Judge Darrell Cayton Supports a Republican For Judge | Eastern NC Now](https://www.beaufortcountynow.com/post/94784/democrat-judge-darrell-cayton-supports-a-republican-for-judge.html)\n[4] [Darrell Cayton, Jr. for District Court Judge | Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ReElectJudgeCayton/)\n[5] [Cayton takes district court judge race - Washington Daily News](https://www.thewashingtondailynews.com/2018/11/06/district-court-race-remains-close/)\n[6] [Judge Darrell Cayton Jr. - Attorney in Washington, NC - Lawyer.com](https://www.lawyer.com/darrell-b-cayton.html)\n[7] [New law practice comes to Washington - Washington Daily News](https://www.thewashingtondailynews.com/2016/02/25/new-law-practice-comes-to-washington/)\n[8] [Meet your Washington County Candidates for the 2026 Election - WCTI12](https://wcti12.com/elections/local/meet-your-washington-county-candidates-for-the-2026-election)","campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_002_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 02 Seat 01"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Darrell","fullname":"Darrell B Cayton JR","lastname":"Cayton","middlename":"B","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"district_court_judge_dist_002_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 02 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_002_seat_01","contest_title":"Nc District Court Judge District 02 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":[]}],"suffix":"JR","summary":"Darrell B. Cayton Jr. is a District Court Judge in North Carolina who retained his seat in 2018 and filed for the 2026 election.","terms":[],"token":"cbd0a0fe28388648"}