One justice of theNorth Carolina Supreme Court and three judges of theNorth Carolina Court of Appeals were elected byNorth Carolina voters on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the elections forPresident,U.S. House,Governor,Council of State,State Senate,State House, and other offices. North Carolina judicial elections are non-partisan. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. In three of the four races, incumbents were re-elected to their seats, but incumbent Court of Appeals JudgeCressie Thigpen (who had never been elected but rather was appointed to fill a vacancy on the court) was defeated byChris Dillon.[1]
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
1 seats of theSupreme Court of North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Associate JusticePaul Martin Newby ran for re-election for a second 8-year term.North Carolina Court of Appeals JudgeSam Ervin IV challenged Newby in the general election.[2]
Justice at Stake estimated that total spending by Newby, Ervin, and outside groups in this contest surpassed $4.4 million, breaking North Carolina records for spending in judicial elections. One group,Americans for Prosperity, spent $250,000 in support of Newby, more than the group had ever spent on any judicial election.[3]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Paul Newby | Sam Ervin IV | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[4] | October 29–31, 2012 | 730 | ± 3.6% | 35% | 39% | 26% |
| Public Policy Polling[5] | October 12–14, 2012 | 1,084 | ± 3.0% | 24% | 32% | 44% |
| Public Policy Polling[6] | September 27–30, 2012 | 1,084 | ± 3.0% | 23% | 31% | 46% |
Federal officials
Political parties
Organizations
Political parties
Organizations
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Paul Martin Newby (incumbent) | 1,821,562 | 51.90% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sam Ervin IV | 1,688,463 | 48.10% | |
| Total votes | 3,510,025 | 100% | ||
JudgeLinda McGee ran for re-election to a third full term.[15] She was challenged by attorney David S. Robinson.[16] McGee won re-election with 61.2 percent of the vote.[17]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Linda McGee (incumbent) | 2,097,791 | 61.19% | |
| Nonpartisan | David S. Robinson | 1,330,260 | 38.81% | |
| Total votes | 3,428,051 | 100% | ||
JudgeWanda Bryant was the incumbent and ran for re-election. She was challenged by District Court Judge Marty McGee.[19] Bryant won re-election with 56.5 percent of the vote.[20]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Wanda Bryant (incumbent) | 1,926,333 | 56.55% | |
| Nonpartisan | Marty McGee | 1,480,232 | 43.45% | |
| Total votes | 3,406,565 | 100% | ||
JudgeCressie Thigpen, who was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by former JudgeBarbara Jackson's election to the Supreme Court, ran for a full term. He was challenged by attorney/bank executiveChris Dillon, who ran for a seat on the Court of Appeals in2010.[22] Dillon defeated Thigpen and won the seat with 52.8 percent of the vote.[23]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Chris Dillon | 1,779,906 | 52.74% | |
| Nonpartisan | Cressie Thigpen (incumbent) | 1,594,799 | 47.26% | |
| Total votes | 3,374,705 | 100% | ||
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
