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Lora Cubbage
2024 - Present
2026
1
Lora Cubbage (Democratic Party) is a judge for District 24A of the North Carolina 4th Superior Court Division. She assumed office on January 1, 2024. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Cubbage (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.
The North Carolina Superior Courts are split into five divisions and 48 districts. Superior court judges rotate among the districts within their division every six months.[1] However, superior court judges are elected by voters in their district and must reside in the district in which they are elected.[2]
Biography
Cubbage was born in Shenandoah Valley, Va., and lives in Greensboro, N.C. She earned an undergraduate degree in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University before receiving her J.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.[3]
Cubbage previously served as a district court judge and an assistant attorney general in the North Carolina Department of Justice. From 2007 to 2011, she was an assistant district attorney for Guilford County. She is a member of the Greensboro Bar Association, Junior League of Greensboro and the Love & Faith Christian Fellowship Church.[3]
Elections
2024
See also: North Carolina Supreme Court elections, 2024
General election
General election for North Carolina Supreme Court
Incumbent Allison Riggs defeated Jefferson Griffin in the general election for North Carolina Supreme Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Allison Riggs (D) | 50.0 | 2,770,412 |
 | Jefferson Griffin (R) | 50.0 | 2,769,678 | |
| Total votes: 5,540,090 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for North Carolina Supreme Court
Incumbent Allison Riggs defeated Lora Cubbage in the Democratic primary for North Carolina Supreme Court on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Allison Riggs | 69.1 | 450,268 |
 | Lora Cubbage | 30.9 | 201,336 | |
| Total votes: 651,604 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Jefferson Griffin advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina Supreme Court.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cubbage in this election.
2020
See also: North Carolina intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
General election
General election for North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 5
Willie Fred Gore defeated Lora Cubbage in the general election for North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Willie Fred Gore (R) | 51.3 | 2,735,952 |
| Lora Cubbage (D) | 48.7 | 2,600,632 | |
| Total votes: 5,336,584 | |||
| = 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. Lora Cubbage advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 5.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Willie Fred Gore advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 5.
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 18
Incumbent Lora Cubbage defeated Mark Cummings in the general election for North Carolina 5th Superior Court Division Judicial District 18 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lora Cubbage (D) | 69.0 | 12,969 |
 | Mark Cummings (D) | 31.0 | 5,835 | |
| Total votes: 18,804 (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. | ||||
2016
North Carolina held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 15, 2016.[4] Lora Cubbage defeated incumbent David Sherrill in the North Carolina Judicial District 18 general election for the Sherrill seat.[5]
| North Carolina Judicial District 18 (Sherrill Seat), General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Lora Cubbage |
53.89% | 102,907 |
| David Sherrill Incumbent | 46.11% | 88,035 |
| Total Votes | 190,942 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial election results," accessed November 8, 2016 | ||
Lora Cubbage and incumbent David Sherrill defeated Ron Butler in the North Carolina Judicial District 18 primary election for the Sherrill seat.
| North Carolina Judicial District 18 (Sherrill Seat), Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lora Cubbage |
39.89% | 37,834 |
| David Sherrill Incumbent |
36.91% | 35,007 |
| Ron Butler | 23.20% | 22,008 |
| Total Votes | 94,849 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Unofficial Local Election Results - Statewide," accessed March 15, 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.[6][7][8]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[6]
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- a district resident; and
- under the age of 72 (retirement at 72 is mandatory).
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lora Cubbage did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Lora Cubbage did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Cubbage provided the following statement on her campaign website:
| “ | It has been an honor to serve the State for the last five years as an Assistant Attorney General . I was equally honored to serve almost five years prior as an Assistant District Attorney in Guilford County. I embark on my candidacy with excitement and expectation to be able to continue serving in yet another capacity. I have been a resident of this great County for over 20 years now and I have seen tremendous growth. Together we have made great strides and have overcome many obstacles when others counted us out. We are uniquely situated as a dual city county (High Point & Greensboro), yet as I tend to always say, we have one heartbeat. I can excitedly say with pride that Guilford County is a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously and we are allowed to be both. In our quest for continued growth, we have covered major ground over the 20 years of my residency and we still have lots of ground to cover. What a great expectation, envisioning all that we can accomplish in the future.
I want to share with you what a District Court Judge’s role should be in our community, which are also the reasons that I am running. A District Court Judge presides as an adjudicator in criminal cases that are misdemeanors or felonies reduced to a misdemeanor. A District Court Judge also presides over family law cases. Thus, a District Court Judge can change your whole day or even your whole life. The role of a District Court Judge is one so vital and key in an individual’s life, that voters must educate themselves on the person their votes place on the bench. You as a voter must believe the judge committed to the success of the community by being able to balance the needs of the community with making the right decision pursuant to the laws that govern a case. You as the voter must believe that the person your vote places on the bench believes in the punishment guidelines that govern crimes as well as alternative resolutions, the mediation process and collaborative law concepts. The next judge that you as a voter place on the bench must believe in the judicial process and must believe that it works. The District Court Judge must be experienced enough to be effective but not too far into the legal system that they cannot change from an old school way of thinking. The District Court Judge cannot promote any agenda other than the legal agenda. Most importantly, the District Court Judge must be willing to serve the community off the bench. The judge that you as a voter place on the bench must be able to go out into the community and get into the trenches of making a good community a great community. A judge must get into the schools to help promote the success of our youth so that they do not end up in the judicial system. The judge that you as a voter place on the bench must be committed to the progress of every citizen in this county. The District Court Judge cannot see race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic position, they must see JUSTICE. I AM THAT CANDIDATE!! I prosecuted all misdemeanors crimes while serving as an Assistant District Attorney. I know the courtrooms and I know the law. I was able to see cases from the defense perspective as well. I ran the juvenile court system for over two years and I saw first hand the needs of the children. I know the programs that worked and didn’t work. I was involved in creating the drug court program that helped many juveniles from a possible drug addiction. I have personally been through the family law court system in my own personal experience, so I also know the impact the courts have on families and children. As an Assistant Attorney General, I have served the State as a whole. I have practiced in the civil courts and know that area of law as well. I have negotiated settlements, participated in mediations, devised alternative resolutions, entered into consent agreements, that are good resolutions for all parties involved in a case. I have argued by brief to the Court of Appeals many times. I have represented State agencies in legal actions and have argued criminal appeals of misdemeanors and felonies. I know how to interpret the law and apply the law fairly across the board in civil and criminal cases. I am not asking for your vote for fame or fortune, or just to say I am a judge. I have served Guilford County and the State of NC for the last ten years and I have helped in many areas and organizations in making a difference on both levels. Simply put, I am not here to impress, I am here to impact!!![9] |
” |
| —Lora Cubbage (2016)[10] | ||
Campaign finance summary
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Carolina Judicial Branch, "North Carolina Superior Court: About," accessed October 9, 2019
- ↑ North Carolina Judicial Branch, "Court Officials: Superior Court Judges," accessed October 9, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lora Cubbage for District Court Judge, "Biography," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Election Calendar," accessed December 23, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official candidate list," accessed October 6, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 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
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Lora Cubbage for District Court Judge, "Applying the law with the experience and knowledge we need, the fairness we trust!" accessed March 8, 2016
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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
