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Kimberly Best
Kimberly Y. Best was a judge for Judicial District 26B of the North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division. She assumed office in 2021. She left office on December 31, 2022.
Best (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Judicial District 26B judge of the North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D) appointed Best to the court on November 23, 2021, to replace W. Robert Bell. Best served as a District Court Judge in Mecklenburg County from 2009 to 2021.[1]
Education
Best received her B.A. degree in communications and Spanish from the University of Michigan in 1990 and her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington in 1994.[2]
Career
- 2021-2022: Judge, Fifth Division of the Superior Court
- 2009-2021: District Court Judge, 26th Judicial District
- 2005-2008: Attorney, The Best Law Firm, PLLC
- 1998-2003: North Carolina Magistrates Office[2]
Elections
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (2022)
General election
General election for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26B
Matt Osman defeated incumbent Kimberly Y. Best in the general election for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26B on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Matt Osman (R)  | 50.1 | 25,992 |
| Kimberly Y. Best (D) | 49.9 | 25,915 | ||
| Total votes: 51,907 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kimberly Y. Best advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26B.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Matt Osman advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26B.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (2020)
General election
General election for North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 1
Incumbent Kimberly Y. Best defeated Pat Finn in the general election for North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kimberly Y. Best (D) | 66.2 | 362,979 | |
| Pat Finn (R) | 33.8 | 185,508 | ||
| Total votes: 548,487 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kimberly Y. Best advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 1.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Pat Finn advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina District Court District 26 Seat 1.
2016
North Carolina held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 15, 2016.[3] Incumbent Kimberly Y. Best-Staton ran unopposed in the North Carolina Judicial District 26 general election for the Best seat.[4]
| North Carolina Judicial District 26 (Best Seat), General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kimberly Y. Best-Staton Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 284,725 |
| Total Votes | 284,725 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial election results," accessed November 8, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The North Carolina District Courts utilize partisan elections in the selection of judges. District judges serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving. From 2002 through 2016, elections for district court judges were nonpartisan; however, on March 23, 2017, the North Carolina legislature changed the method of election to partisan elections by overriding Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of HB 100. This change was effective with the 2018 district court elections.[5][6][7]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[5]
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- a district resident; and
- under the age of 72 (retirement at 72 is mandatory).
2012
- See also: North Carolina judicial elections, 2012
Best was re-elected to the 26th Judicial District without opposition on November 6, 2012.[8][9]
Judicial candidate survey
The North Carolina Bar Association asked its members to rank incumbent judges with terms ending in 2012 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being "excellent." Below are Best's ratings in five categories and overall:
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Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kimberly Y. Best did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Kimberly Y. Best did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 26B |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ NC Governor Roy Cooper, "Governor Cooper Appoints Superior Court Judge for Mecklenburg County," November 23, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Election Calendar," accessed December 23, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official candidate list," accessed December 23, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: North Carolina," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Veto override means voters will know judges’ party affiliations," March 23, 2017
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "House Bill 100," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections: Official 2012 General Election Results
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing List," 2012 Scroll to p.59
- ↑ NC Bar Association: Judicial Performance Evaluation Survey, January 2012 Scroll to p.15
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
