Alicia D. Brooks

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Alicia D. Brooks

Prior offices

North Carolina District Court District 26

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1988

Law

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1991

Personal

Birthplace

Fayetteville, N.C.

Religion

Baptist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Alicia D. Brooks was a judge of the North Carolina District Court District 26. She assumed office in 2015. She left office on December 31, 2018.

Brooks (Democratic Party) ran for election for the Judicial District 26A judge of the North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Brooks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Alicia D. Brooks was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She earned a J.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 1991.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (2020)

General election

General election for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26A

Charles M. Viser defeated Alicia D. Brooks in the general election for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26A on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Charles M. Viser (R)	53.7	40,306
		Alicia D. Brooks (D)	46.3	34,798

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 75,104
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Alicia D. Brooks advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26A.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26A

Charles M. Viser defeated David Strickland in the Republican primary for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26A on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Charles M. Viser	57.5	5,240
	Submit photo	David Strickland	42.5	3,874

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,114
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (2018)

General election

General election for North Carolina District Court District 26

Michael Stading defeated incumbent Alicia D. Brooks in the general election for North Carolina District Court District 26 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Stading (R)	51.5	28,718
		Alicia D. Brooks (D)	48.5	27,065

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,783 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: North Carolina judicial elections, 2014
Brooks ran for election to the 26th Judicial District.
General: She defeated incumbent Judge Casey Viser in the general election on November 4, 2014, receiving 58.1 percent of the vote.  

Judicial performance evaluation

In July 2014, the North Carolina Bar Association released the results of a survey in which it asked lawyers to rate the judicial candidates for the trial courts. The candidates were rated from one to five on five different criteria as well as on their overall performance.

Alicia D. Brooks
Quality/Skill Rated	# of Responses	Average Rating
Integrity & Impartiality	163	3.91
Legal Ability	166	3.80
Professionalism	166	3.90
Communication	160	3.73
Administrative Skills	121	3.71
Overall Performance	162	3.77

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Alicia D. Brooks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brooks' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina. I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate and law school. I have served the community as an assistant District attorney, an assistant Public Defender, the owner of my own law firm, a District Court Judge, and a Judicial Hearing officer. I have presided in nearly all of our district court rooms as a judge and I presided over two treatment courts, Mental heath Court and Recovery Court.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My breadth of experience is unique and has afforded me a perspective that most judges do not have.
• Because I serve the community inside and outside of the courtroom, I have a connection to the community which allows me better serve the citizens of Mecklenburg County.
• I am committed to following the law and applying it fairly to everyone who appears before me.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about public policies which allow greater access to justice for all citizens. There are segments of our population which do not have equal access to our court system and to good representation. I support efforts to assist those of lower socioeconomic backgrounds in obtaining legal representation and resources within our court system. I have always been connected to the indigent services program in Mecklenburg County and was Chair of the Indigent Services committee which the body of attorneys that provided oversight of the list of attorneys appointed to represent this population of citizens.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mother taught me the value of service and commitment. She became a single mother of three daughters after separating from my father. Although she graduated only from high school, she labored to ensure each of us graduated from college. Despite the challenges of her life, she never missed an opportunity to feed someone who had no food, to sew clothing for anyone who needed a garment, or provide shelter to a friend or family or stranger without a home. These images shaped who I became and instilled a sense of commitment and responsibility to my community. My nearly 30 year legal career as a public servant is a reflection of those lessons she taught me.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am very conscientious, transparent, and I believe in being accessible.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave legacy of service and commitment to the people.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Still by Bryan Courtney Williams

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Superior Court Judges preside over Felony criminal matters, complex business cases, civil matters in excess of $25000, and commercial litigation.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Every person who enters the courtroom has a voice and deserves the respect of being heard and treated fairly.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

I admire Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

I believe that judges should have empathy and are able to understand the issues which face the citizens in the community they serve. This understanding is what allows a judge to make a difference in the lives of good people who make bad choices.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Education

Brooks received her B.S. degree in political science and criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988. She received her J.D. degree from the same school in 1991.

Career

Brooks began her career as an assistant public defender, spending five years in that position. She later spent two years as an assistant district attorney. She entered private practice around the year 2000 and practiced with The Brooks Law Firm, P.C. in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the time of her election to the bench.

Awards and associations

• Member, Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church
• Former board member, Mount Moriah Child Development Center.
• Former chair, Indigent Defense Committee
• Former board member, Summit House
• Former troop leader, Girl Scout Hornet's Nest Council
• Former member, John S. Leary Bar Association

Approach to the law

Speaking at a forum of local judicial candidates in Mecklenburg in 2014, Brooks said:

“

The system is broken if I’ve got the father, the son and the grandson as clients...If I’ve got a client sitting in jail for two years waiting for a trial and then he’s found not guilty, the system is broken.

”

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

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External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• The North Carolina Court System, "Mecklenburg County - District 26"

Footnotes

North Carolina courts

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Federal courts:

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina

State courts:

Supreme Court of North Carolina • North Carolina Court of Appeals • North Carolina Superior Courts • North Carolina District Courts

State resources:

Courts in North Carolina • North Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Carolina