This year, 12 district court judges will be elected in Wake County—and for the next four years, they will have the power to decide whether to turn children over to foster care, grant restraining orders, or incarcerate people for misdemeanors such as assault, reckless driving, or possession of marijuana.
Although races in these courts often receive little attention in election years, judges’ decisions have life-changing impacts. In Durham, for instance, district court judges have torn families apart by placing children in foster care and keeping them away from parents who are fighting for custody.
“Typically the cases you see at the district court level are criminal misdemeanor cases,” says Jamie Paulen, a Hillsborough-based attorney who has worked across the Triangle. “When I worked in Alamance [County] representing protesters, all of the protester trials were tried as bench trials, meaning there’s no jury; there’s just a judge.”
In addition to adjudicating criminal misdemeanors, these judges also deal with traffic violations, family law cases, juvenile cases, civil cases (involving less than $10,000), and a variety of other matters. But when it comes time to elect judges, there’s little information available, says Paulen.
“The importance of judicial races is not well appreciated,” she says. “I don’t think people are thinking, ‘What happens if I get misidentified as a criminal and I have to go to court? Who would I want to have taking a look at that case?’”
As someone who’s worked extensively in district courts, Paulen says she wants judges who are fair—meaning those who don’t automatically side with the people in power such as law enforcement officers, prosecutors, or county social services.
“You need a judge who doesn’t automatically believe law enforcement is telling the truth,” Paulen says, citing the BRADY list, which was created to track officers whose behavior on the job has been called into question.
“It would be the same in any kind of civil contest. You don’t want a judge who’s going to automatically think that moms will make better parents or that dads should pay more because they’re supposed to be making more money.”
Electing judges without biases is impossible, but “you need to have people that are willing to evaluate their biases and try to understand them and mitigate against them,” Paulen says. “If you’re a Black male, you want to believe that the person in front of you is going to treat you exactly the same as a white lady who has the same charges.”
Many of the judges up for election in Wake County this year are running unopposed, but four races will be determined in the March 5 primary. In those parts of the county (namely, District 10) some newcomers are challenging judges who have been on the bench for more than a decade, offering alternative perspectives on criminal justice, while one seat is up for grabs as a long-serving judge retires from the bench.
District 10A, Seat 3
Wake County’s district court is divided into six subdistricts, each served by three or so judges. In District 10A, which encompasses northern Wake County, incumbent Cindy Kenney is facing challenger Douglas R. Brown, a criminal defense attorney and former assistant district attorney for Wake County.
Brown, who graduated from law school at UNC-Chapel Hill, has more than 25 years of experience in Wake County as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. In a letter to the Wake County Bar Association, he wrote that he has completed “more than 50 jury trials and thousands of bench trials.”
“I always strive to be fair and even-tempered,” Brown added. “With my breadth and depth of experience, I am in a unique position to have a positive impact on people who come through our Wake County courts.”
In 2022, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Kenney, also a graduate of the UNC-CH law school, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Daniel Nagle. Prior to her appointment to the district court, Kenney worked as an assistant district attorney in Wake and Durham Counties, prosecuting cases of child abuse, drug trafficking, and homicide, among others.
Most recently, she worked for the NC Department of Commerce hearing appeals related to decisions on unemployment benefits and other labor issues.
District 10C, Seat 3
In District 10C, which includes North Raleigh, incumbent Anna Elena Worley is up against challenger Renee Jordan, a defense attorney. Jordan, who graduated from Campbell Law School in 2005, represents clients charged with felonies, misdemeanors, DWIs, and traffic violations, according to her website. She’s been working as a defense attorney across North Carolina for 19 years.
Worley, who first assumed office in 2009, has been a district court judge for 15 years, specializing in family law. In family court, she’s heard cases involving “custody, child support, spousal support, division of property, and divorce,” she wrote in response to a 2016 INDY questionnaire.
“The families of Wake County deserve a judiciary that remembers that children feel the effects of our courts’ decisions, even when they are not parties to an action,” she added.
In her years on the bench Worley has also “chosen to participate in groups and organizations that work to protect those with the least access to resources, the least access to education, and the least access to justice,” she wrote. Her work has included advocating for refugees, tutoring children for whom English is a second language, and representing domestic violence survivors pro bono.
District 10D, Seat 5
In District 10D—a sprawling subdistrict that includes southern Wake County and western Raleigh—longtime judge Debra Ann Sasser is not running for reelection. After 19 years, Sasser’s seat is up for grabs by either Blair Williams, Wake County Clerk of Superior Court, or Kevin Boxberger, a public defender.
Williams, who graduated from Campbell Law School in 1995, was elected as superior court clerk in 2018. As clerk, he handles the court’s record-keeping but also deals with cases of guardianship and probate matters like executing wills.
Prior to his election, Williams worked in the clerk’s office for eight years, helping with cases in the estates, civil, and special proceedings divisions. He has also worked as a private attorney, helping clients with issues of estate planning, elder law, guardianship, and power of attorney.
Boxberger, on the other hand, has spent much of his 11-year legal career as a defense attorney, primarily representing people who could not afford a lawyer. He’s handled criminal, juvenile, and traffic cases, working with clients charged with anything from speeding to homicide.
In 2022, Boxberger was hired as a regional defender for the NC Office of Indigent Defense Services, the public defender’s office. There, Boxberger oversees public defenders in eight counties including Wake.
Boxberger’s “decade-long practice in criminal defense … highlights a dedication to the underrepresented,” his website states. “Moreover, the mentorship [Boxberger] provides and the sought-after advice from fellow attorneys speak volumes about the respect he commands in the legal community.”
District 10E, Seat 3
In District 10E, which encompasses South Raleigh, Crystal Grimes, a public defender who represents people charged with felonies in Wake County, is challenging Democratic incumbent Eric Craig Chasse, who has served for 17 years.
Democratic governor Michael Easley appointed Chasse as a district court judge in 2007. During his time on the bench, he’s served in abuse/neglect/dependency court and judged juvenile delinquency matters.
Today, Chasse serves mostly in criminal court, hearing pleas related to Class H and I felonies. These less serious felonies—including assault, hit and run, sale of controlled substances, and possession of cocaine or marijuana—can still result in up to three years in prison. When not in court, Chasse also handles hundreds of expungement petitions, making decisions on whether to remove criminal charges from residents’ records.
Follow Staff Writer Jasmine Gallup on Twitter or send an email to [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].
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