In Wake County, Democrats picked up two seats on the superior court bench, as well as one in the district court.

For the Superior Court, District 10 C, Seat 1, attorney Sean Cole ousted Republican incumbent Justice Becky Holt, who’s held the seat since 2017, and defeated unaffiliated candidate Stephanie Davis. Cole won with 48 percent of the vote; Holt took 44 percent of the vote share, and Davis took about eight percent.

Cole, a personal injury lawyer, courtroom advocate, and legal studies teacher, says on his campaign website that he believes that “every person who comes before a trial court must be heard and understood.” Cole volunteers as a writer for the Wake County Bar Awards, which raises millions of dollars for Legal Aid, and has received several recognitions for his volunteer and pro bono work in the legal profession. He’s also an actor, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist.

For the Superior Court, District 10 F, Seat 1, district court judge Jennifer Bedford ousted Graham Shirley, the incumbent since 2016 after he was appointed to the seat by Gov. Pat McCrory.

Bedford, who took a little over 53 percent of the vote share, worked as a nonpartisan committee attorney at the general assembly before Gov. Roy Cooper appointed her to her district court seat in 2022.

Superior court judges preside over trials that decide cases involving felony charges, civil cases involving potential judgements over $25,000, and misdemeanor appeals from lower courts.

In the District Court 10 D, Seat 3 race, criminal defense attorney Kevin Boxberger defeated Republican challenger Karl Roth, who practices in the areas of commercial litigation and family and criminal law. Boxberger, an NC Central law school graduate, military veteran, and former Raleigh firefighter, was appointed to an open seat in the district court in May following former chief district court judge Ned Mangum’s retirement. Former Wake County clerk of court Blair Williams ran for that seat unopposed. Boxberger took 59 percent of the vote in the race against Roth.

District court judges preside over civil, criminal, and juvenile cases, including child custody disputes. These judges are elected to four-year terms.

Several more district court judges, all Democrats but one, Vartan A. (Woofer) Davidian III, ran unopposed. See the full list of results here.

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