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Judges appointed by Roy Cooper
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This page lists judges appointed by Roy Cooper (D) during his term as Governor of North Carolina. As of today, the total number of Cooper appointees was 74. For the full profile of Cooper, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some North Carolina judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Cooper.
Appointment process
In North Carolina, the governor makes judicial appointments. The new judge must run for the seat in the next general election that occurs more than sixty days after the appointment.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
North Carolina Supreme Court |
2019 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
North Carolina Supreme Court |
September 11, 2023 - Present |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
North Carolina Court of Appeals |
September 12, 2023 - January 1, 2025 |
|
|
North Carolina Court of Appeals |
January 1, 2023 - September 11, 2023 |
|
|
North Carolina Court of Appeals |
January 14, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
North Carolina Court of Appeals |
2019 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
North Carolina Court of Appeals |
2019 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 1 |
2017 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
North Carolina 13th Judicial District |
||
|
North Carolina 14th Judicial District |
January 3, 2022 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 14th Judicial District |
2017 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 14th Judicial District |
July 20, 2023 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 15A Judicial District |
||
|
North Carolina 15B Judicial District |
2021 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 17B Judicial District |
||
|
North Carolina 18th Judicial District Court Seat 1 |
2019 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 18th Judicial District Court Seat 10 |
2023 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 18th Judicial District Court Seat 12 |
2020 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 18th Judicial District Court Seat 13 |
March 8, 2019 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 18th Judicial District Court Seat 3 |
October 1, 2020 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 18th Judicial District Court Seat 5 |
2018 - September 15, 2022 |
|
|
North Carolina 18th Judicial District Court Seat 5 |
January 12, 2023 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division Judicial District 14A |
February 8, 2023 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division Judicial District 14B |
2021 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division Judicial District 7B |
2018 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division Judicial District 7C |
February 5, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
North Carolina 20A Judicial District |
||
|
North Carolina 21st Judicial District |
2022 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 21st Judicial District |
December 3, 2021 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 21st Judicial District |
2020 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 21st Judicial District |
2021 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 22B Judicial District |
May 13, 2021 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 22B Judicial District |
May 13, 2021 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 24th Judicial District |
||
|
North Carolina 2nd Superior Court Division Judicial District 13A |
||
|
North Carolina 2nd Superior Court Division Judicial District 13B |
May 5, 2020 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 10B |
||
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 10D |
2018 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 12C |
2021 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 15A |
2017 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 16A |
||
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 16A |
2019 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 19B |
2022 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 20B |
2019 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Judicial District 9 |
2018 - 2018 |
|
|
North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division Special Judge for Complex Business Cases |
2022 - 2022 |
|
|
North Carolina 4th Superior Court Division Judicial District 18B |
October 20, 2022 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 4th Superior Court Division Judicial District 18E |
November 10, 2022 - January 1, 2024 |
|
|
North Carolina 4th Superior Court Division Judicial District 19C |
2021 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 18 |
October 22, 2018 - December 31, 2018 |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 18 |
June 18, 2018 - December 31, 2018 |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26E |
January 1, 2019 - November 30, 2021 |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26E |
December 10, 2021 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 27A |
August 10, 2018 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 27B |
2023 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 29B |
2018 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Special Judge |
May 23, 2018 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
North Carolina 7th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26 |
||
|
North Carolina 7th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26 |
||
|
North Carolina 8th Judicial District |
2018 - Unknown |
|
|
North Carolina 8th Judicial District |
December 16, 2021 - Unknown |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 10A Seat 1 |
February 12, 2021 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 10B Seat 2 |
2017 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 10C Seat 1 |
October 2, 2020 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 10D Seat 3 |
May 20, 2024 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 10E Seat 1 |
2017 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 26 |
2020 - 2021 |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 26 |
2017 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 12 |
May 18, 2018 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 4 |
August 1, 2023 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 4 |
February 28, 2019 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 5 |
May 18, 2018 - Present |
|
|
North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 9 |
November 8, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Sixth Division of the Superior Court North Carolina 20B Judicial District |
2021 - Present |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in North Carolina
| Judicial selection in North Carolina | |
 | |
| Supreme Court of North Carolina | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| North Carolina Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| North Carolina Superior Courts | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| North Carolina District Courts | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in North Carolina, including:
- Supreme Court of North Carolina
- North Carolina Court of Appeals
- North Carolina Superior Courts, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, all North Carolina judges were chosen through partisan elections. Under the North Carolina Constitution, judges' terms begin on January 1 following their election or re-election.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[2] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[3] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[4] | 1[5] | 17[6] |
State profile
| Demographic data for North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 10,035,186 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 48,618 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69.5% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 21.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.4% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 28.4% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $46,868 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 20.5% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Carolina. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
North Carolina voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, six are located in North Carolina, accounting for 2.91 percent of the total pivot counties.[7]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Carolina had six Retained Pivot Counties, 3.31 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More North Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in North Carolina
- United States congressional delegations from North Carolina
- Public policy in North Carolina
- Endorsers in North Carolina
- North Carolina fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: North Carolina," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
