Phyllis Gorham
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2007 - Present
2024
18
Phyllis M. Gorham is a superior court judge for the Second Division of the Superior Court, 5th Judicial District, serving both New Hanover and Pender counties in North Carolina.[1] She was appointed to the court by Gov. Mike Easley (D) on May 17, 2007.[2] Gorham won re-election unopposed in the general election on November 8, 2016.
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.[3] However, superior court judges are elected by voters in their district and must reside in the district in which they are elected.[4]
Biography
Gorham received her B.A. in French studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983 and her J.D. from the North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1990.[5]
Career
- 2007-Present: Resident Superior Court Judge, Second Division of the Superior Court, 5th Judicial District
- 2005-2007: District Court Judge, North Carolina 5th Judicial District
- 1995-2005: Assistant District Attorney, District Attorney's Office, North Carolina 5th Judicial District
- 1991-1995: Assistant Police Attorney, North Central Legal Assistance Program; Attorney in private practice
- 1991: Admitted to the North Carolina Bar[5][6][7]
Awards and associations
- Executive Board Member, Dreams of Wilmington, Inc.
- Board Member and Chairperson, New Hanover County
- Member of Board of Trustees, Coastal Horizons Center , Inc.[8]
Elections
2016
North Carolina held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 15, 2016.[9] Incumbent Phyllis Gorham ran unopposed in the Superior Court 2nd Division District 5A general election.[10]
| North Carolina Superior Court 2nd Division, District 5A, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Phyllis Gorham Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 23,469 |
| Total Votes | 23,469 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial election results," accessed November 8, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The 98 judges of the North Carolina Superior Courts are chosen in partisan elections to serve eight-year terms. From 1998 through 2016, elections for superior 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 superior court elections.[11][12][13][14][15]
The chief judge of each superior court is chosen by seniority.[16]
Qualifications
To serve on a superior court, a judge must be:
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Phyllis Gorham' 'North Carolina'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- North Carolina local trial court judicial elections, 2016
- Courts in North Carolina
- North Carolina Superior Courts
- Judicial selection in North Carolina
External links
- The North Carolina Court System, "Pender County - District 5"
- The North Carolina Court System, "New Hanover County - District 5"
- The North Carolina Court System, "List of District 5 Judges"
Footnotes
- ↑ The North Carolina Court System, "District 5 Superior Judges"
- ↑ WWAY NewsChannel, "Fifth district superior court judge sworn in," May 18, 2007
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 LinkedIn.com, Profile: Phyllis M. Gorham
- ↑ Martindale.com, Judge Profile: Phyllis M. Gorham
- ↑ Independent Tribune, "Easley appoints Gorham to bench in Pender, New Hanover counties," March 1, 2005
- ↑ ZoonInfo.com, Judge Pyllis M. Gorham.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: North Carolina," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Session Law 2015-292: House Bill 8," October 29, 2015
- ↑ 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 General Assembly, "Session Law 2018-121, House Bill 717," accessed August 30, 2019
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Cite error: Invalid
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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
