Lawrence Fine
Lawrence Fine (Democratic Party) was a judge for Seat 6 of the North Carolina 31st Judicial District. He assumed office on January 1, 2024. He left office on December 31, 2024.
Fine (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the North Carolina 21st Judicial District. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Biography
Fine received his B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College, his M.A. from Ohio University, and his J.D. from Wake Forest University. He was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1982.[1][2]
Fine worked as a private practice attorney for eighteen years prior to joining the District Court in 2001. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Wake Forest University.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Forsyth County, North Carolina (2020)
General election
General election for North Carolina 21st Judicial District
Incumbent Lawrence Fine won election in the general election for North Carolina 21st Judicial District on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lawrence Fine (D) | 100.0 | 132,105 | |
| Total votes: 132,105 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Lawrence Fine advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina 21st Judicial District.
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 Lawrence J. Fine ran unopposed in the North Carolina Judicial District 21 general election for the Fine seat.[4]
| North Carolina Judicial District 21 (Fine Seat), General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Lawrence J. Fine Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 107,869 |
| Total Votes | 107,869 | |
| 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
Fine was re-elected to the 21st 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 Fine's ratings in five categories and overall:
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Awards and associations
Awards
- 1999: Harvey A. Lupton Award[1]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lawrence Fine did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfaculty - ↑ Martindale, "Judge Profile: Lawrence J. Fine"
- ↑ 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.58
- ↑ NC Bar Association: Judicial Performance Evaluation Survey, January 2012 Scroll to p.14
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
