2002 North Carolina judicial elections
Several justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court and judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected to eight-year terms by North 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.
| Elections in North Carolina |
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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).
Supreme Court (Butterfield seat)
Incumbent G. K. Butterfield, a Democrat, had been appointed by Gov. Mike Easley and faced election for the first time. He was defeated by attorney Edward Thomas Brady, a Republican.
In the Republican primary, Brady had defeated Judge Ralph A. Walker.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | G. K. Butterfield | 992,603 | 46.12 | ||
| Republican | Edward Thomas Brady | 1,159,476 | 53.87 | ||
Supreme Court (Orr seat)
Incumbent Robert F. Orr, a Republican, defeated North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Robert C. Hunter, a Democrat.
In the Democratic primary, Hunter had defeated attorney Bradley K. Greenway.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert C. Hunter | 987,447 | 45.35 | ||
| Republican | Robert F. Orr | 1,189,751 | 54.65 | ||
Court of Appeals (Biggs seat)
Incumbent Loretta Copeland Biggs, a Democrat, was narrowly defeated by Sanford L. Steelman, Jr., a Republican. There were no primaries.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Loretta Copeland Biggs | 1,046,689 | 49.14 | ||
| Republican | Sanford L. Steelman, Jr. | 1,083,194 | 50.86 | ||
Court of Appeals (Bryant seat)
Incumbent Wanda G. Bryant, a Democrat, was defeated by District Court Judge Ann Marie Calabria, a Republican.
In the Republican primary, Calabria had defeated Nathanael K. (Nate) Pendley.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wanda G. Bryant | 1,020,286 | 47.93 | ||
| Republican | Ann Marie Calabria | 1,108,615 | 52.07 | ||
Court of Appeals (Campbell seat)
Incumbent Hugh Brown Campbell, Jr., a Democrat, was defeated by District Court Judge Eric Levinson, a Republican.
In the Republican primary, Levinson had defeated Lorrie L. Dollar.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Hugh Brown Campbell, Jr. | 1,046,594 | 49.0 | ||
| Republican | Eric Levinson | 1,089,728 | 51.0 | ||
Court of Appeals (Thomas seat)
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.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martha Geer | 1,073,423 | 50.35 | ||
| Republican | Bill Constangy | 1,058,485 | 49.65 | ||
Court of Appeals (Walker seat)
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.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | George R. Barrett | 1,022,078 | 47.95 | ||
| Republican | Rick Elmore | 1,109,317 | 52.05 | ||
