Several justices of theNorth Carolina Supreme Court and judges of theNorth Carolina Court of Appeals were elected to eight-year terms byNorth Carolina voters on November 5, 2002. Party primary elections were held on Sept. 10. This was the last year in which statewide judicial elections were partisan.
The result of the election was that all incumbent Democrats went down to defeat, and only one Democrat won a seat that was open (i.e. the incumbent chose not to run for another term).
[ edit ] IncumbentG. K. Butterfield , a Democrat, had been appointed by Gov.Mike Easley and faced election for the first time. He was defeated by attorneyEdward Thomas Brady , a Republican.
In the Republican primary, Brady had defeated Judge Ralph A. Walker.
North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice (Seat 1) Republican primary election, 2002[ 1] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Edward Thomas Brady 162,956 50.24% Republican Ralph Walker 161,420 49.76% Total votes 324,376 100%
[ edit ] IncumbentBob Orr , a Republican, defeated North Carolina Court of Appeals JudgeBob Hunter , a Democrat.
In the Democratic primary, Hunter had defeated attorney Bradley K. Greenway.
North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice (Seat 2) Democratic primary election, 2002[ 3] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Bob Hunter 351,350 71.90% Democratic Bradley K. Greenway 137,304 28.10% Total votes 488,654 100%
[ edit ] IncumbentWanda Bryant , a Democrat, was defeated by District Court JudgeAnn Marie Calabria , a Republican.
In the Republican primary, Calabria had defeated Nathanael K. (Nate) Pendley.
North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge (Seat 2) Republican primary election, 2002[ 5] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Ann Marie Calabria 182,803 56.77% Republican Nathanael K. (Nate) Pendley 139,180 43.23% Total votes 321,983 100%
[ edit ] In the open-seat contest,Rick Elmore , a Republican, defeated George R. Barrett, a Democrat.
In the Democratic primary, Barrett had defeated Beecher Reynolds Gray. In the Republican primary, Elmore had defeated Fritz Mercer.
North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge (Seat 3) Democratic primary election, 2002[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic George R. Barrett 256,016 53.53% Democratic Beecher Reynolds Gray 222,263 46.47% Total votes 478,279 100%
North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge (Seat 3) Republican primary election, 2002[ 7] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Rick Elmore 178,759 57.85% Republican Fritz Mercer 130,271 42.15% Total votes 309,030 100%
[ edit ] IncumbentHugh Brown Campbell Jr. , a Democrat, was defeated by District Court JudgeEric Levinson , a Republican.
In the Republican primary, Levinson had defeated Lorrie L. Dollar.
North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge (Seat 12) Republican primary election, 2002[ 9] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Eric Levinson 168,835 52.42% Republican Lorrie L. Dollar 153,244 47.58% Total votes 322,079 100%
[ edit ] IncumbentLoretta Copeland Biggs , a Democrat, was narrowly defeated bySanford Steelman Jr. , a Republican. There were no primaries.
[ edit ] In the open-seat contest,Martha Geer , a Democrat, narrowly defeated Bill Constangy, a Republican.
In the Democratic primary, Geer had defeated Marcus W. Williams.
North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge (Seat 15) Democratic primary election, 2002[ 12] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Martha Geer 278,380 55.07% Democratic Marcus W. Williams 227,092 44.93% Total votes 505,472 100%
^ "09/10/2002 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "11/05/2002 Official General Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "09/10/2002 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "11/05/2002 Official General Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "09/10/2002 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "11/05/2002 Official General Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^a b "09/10/2002 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "11/05/2002 Official General Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "09/10/2002 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "11/05/2002 Official General Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "11/05/2002 Official General Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "09/10/2002 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .^ "11/05/2002 Official General Election Results - Statewide" . North Carolina State Board of Elections. RetrievedJuly 30, 2025 .
