High-profile courts and law enforcement positions are on the slate of electoral races in 2026. In Durham, voters will cast ballots for sheriff, district attorney, the clerk of superior court and a number of district and superior court seats, all of which make up the gears of the criminal justice machine that apply laws and procedures, issue reprimands and implement potential reforms.
Candidates in this election are running amid recent changes to state law that have significant impact on the discretion of and decisions made by local law enforcement officials. Last year, the state legislature passed House Bill 10, requiring local enforcement agencies to work more closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and in October, the state house took further steps to push police departments and sheriffs’ offices to cooperate with federal agents.
The two bills come as federal immigration agents have an increased presence throughout North Carolina, concerning many residents who worry for the safety of their neighbors. The Trump administration has targeted Democratic cities which the president has deemed crime-ridden, even though crime has continued to decline in those areas, including in Durham where violent crime is down significantly in nearly every category—homicides, robberies, and aggravated assault—over the five-year average.
The state legislature also passed Iryna’s Law, which limits judicial officials’ discretion in determining pretrial release and expands the state’s options for state executions.
These changes are the backdrop for next year’s electoral campaigns. The winner of the Democratic primary in March will likely run unopposed in the general election next November, save for a write-in campaign or an unaffiliated candidate campaign petition, as in 2022 when Maria Jocys ran as an Independent in the general election for the sheriff’s seat. This raises the stakes for many primary races.
Here’s who’s running and what to know about the candidates ahead of the March primary.
Durham County Sheriff Democratic Primary
Clarence Birkhead was elected sheriff in 2018 when he beat out incumbent Michael Andrews, who served in the role for six years, with 69% of the vote in the primary. No serious contenders challenged Birkhead in the subsequent primary election and in 2022, Birkhead defeated Jocys with 71% of the vote in the general election.
Birkhead’s tenure has not always been smooth sailing. Public safety advocates say Birkhead has dragged his feet on adopting the nonviolent response program HEART countywide. In 2024, the Civil Rights Corps filed a federal lawsuit against Birkhead and district court judge Dorretta Walker for closing dependency court hearings to public monitors.
Birkhead’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Johnny Hawkins, has worked for the North Carolina Department of Security Services for over a decade, and currently serves as the Chief of Detention Services for Durham County. In a report, Durham’s Safety and Wellness Task Force, a joint governmental program that makes recommendations for alternatives to policing and the criminal legal system, has called into question Hawkins’s documented use of segregated housing and solitary confinement as a form of punishment inside the jail, even for seemingly minor infractions.
Durham County District Attorney Democratic Primary
When Satana Deberry was first elected as Durham’s district attorney in 2018, she was seen as part of a new wave of progressive district attorneys nationwide who would tackle criminal justice reform head-on. She rolled back or discontinued numerous courthouse practices, including prosecuting nonviolent drug felonies and misdemeanors, and seeking cash bail, soon after taking office.
In 2024, Deberry leveraged her widespread support locally to launch a bid for state attorney general. She received endorsements from the influential Durham Committee and the People’s Alliance PACs, but came up short in the Democratic primary against eventual winner Jeff Jackson.
Some residents feel Deberry’s tactics have been too lenient, and reports in early 2025 of Deberry’s higher-than-usual absences from her office have caused residents to question her commitment to the job.
Jonathan Wilson is a criminal defense attorney. He ran unsuccessfully for Durham district attorney in the 2022 Democratic primary against Deberry, receiving 16% of the vote.
Most of Wilson’s disagreements with Deberry seem to be more procedural than political. But in his 2022 INDY candidate questionnaire, Wilson said that while he is aligned with Deberry on a number of issues, he believes “there have been missed opportunities to effectively prosecute violent crime as evidenced by disproportionately light plea offers and acquittals.”
Wilson also serves as vice president of the board of directors for the Durham County Teen Court and Restitution Program, an organization “with a mission of providing constructive opportunities for community service and victim restitution while holding juvenile and youthful offenders accountable for criminal and delinquent behavior.”
Clerk of Superior Court Democratic Primary
Aminah Thompson is serving her first term as clerk of superior court in Durham. She won the Democratic primary in 2022 with 65 percent of the vote.
The clerk is responsible for administrative, clerical, and record-keeping functions for the district and superior courts system. Before she was elected clerk, Thompson served as a magistrate judge for over a decade.
Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. A longtime Durham resident, Thompson has been a member of local groups and served on numerous political committees, including the Durham Committee, Durham Democratic Party, People’s Alliance, and Duke Alumni Association.
A. Beverly Ellis-Maclin will challenge Thompson in the Democratic primary for the clerk of court seat. Ellis-Maclin works as a customer success specialist at Durham-based Adwerx, an advertising software company, according to her LinkedIn profile.
NC Superior Court Judge District 16B Seat 2 Democratic Primary
Myra Griffin has served on the North Carolina Industrial Commission since 2005. The commission oversees administration of the Workers’ Compensation Act, the Tort Claims Act, the Childhood Vaccine-Related Injury Act, the Public Safety Employees’ Death Benefits Act, the Act to Compensate Individuals Erroneously Convicted of Felonies, and the Eugenics Compensation Program. Commissioners review claims of workers’ compensation and distribute medical benefits to workers in those cases, among other services.
Griffin has lived in Durham for 31 years. She received her law degree from North Carolina Central University. On her campaign Facebook page, Griffin shared an endorsement from former Durham mayor Steve Schewel: “Years on City Council and later as Mayor taught me how deeply the Superior Court affects the safety, stability, and quality of life for Durham residents,” Schewel wrote. “Myra Griffin understands this responsibility and brings the fairness, preparation, and commitment that this role demands. She will serve our community with the care and integrity that Durham deserves.”
Griffin’s opponent is Ameshia Cooper Chester, a Durham native and graduate of Durham Public Schools.
Chester earned her law degree from the University of Charlotte School of Law. She currently serves as a special deputy attorney general with the North Carolina Department of Justice, prosecuting tax law violations and representing the state in criminal appellate matters. Chester was previously a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office, where she gained experience in criminal law at the local level.
NC Superior Court Judge District 16B Seat 3 (No primary)
Josephine Kerr Davis was first elected to the state superior court in Judicial District 14B, defeating Dawn Baxton in the general election in 2018. After the district was redrawn, Kerr Davis now serves District 16B Seat 3.
Kerr Davis has over 15 years of criminal and civil law experience through positions as an assistant public defender, prosecutor, assistant attorney general, and appeals hearing officer.
She has been a member of the People’s Alliance and Durham Democratic Women, as well as a former instructor at Durham Technical Community College. She also served on the advisory board of the Durham Expunction and Restoration (DEAR) program, which worked to provide increased access to expunctions, certificates for relief and driver’s license restoration.
Kerr Davis is running unopposed and will not be on the primary ballot in March.
NC District Court Judge District 16 Seat 1 (No primary)
Dave Hall has served as a district court judge since 2018. Hall previously served in North Carolina’s 14th Judicial District, where he won elections in 2018 and 2022, before the district was redrawn.
Hall is running unopposed and will not be on the primary ballot in March.
NC District Court Judge District 16 Seat 2 Democratic Primary
Dorreta Walker has served on the bench since 2010, and has run unopposed in the last two election cycles in 2018 and 2022.
Walker, along with Sheriff Birkhead, is at the center of a lawsuit brought by the Civil Rights Corps in 2024, which alleges that “blocking public access to dependency proceedings violates the First Amendment’s presumption of open courts,” according to reporting by the INDY. Walker did not respond to inquiries from the INDY for the story.
Keith Bishop, Walker’s opponent, has his own legal practice, and takes on myriad case types as a one-man operation. Bishop ran for district attorney back in 2008, and spent years as legal counsel for the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, according to his LinkedIn profile.
NC District Court Judge District 16 Seat 3 (No primary)
Kevin E. Jones is currently serving his first term as district court judge. He was elected in 2022, beating out Pat Evans in the primary with 72% of the vote.
Jones worked as a 5th grade teacher and assistant public defender for Durham County before starting his own practice in 2007. He is a member of the Durham Committee and People’s Alliance PACs.
In his 2022 questionnaire, Jones said he was running for district court “to bring a new perspective that focuses more on serving the citizens of Durham and less on maintaining outdated, inefficient, and out of touch policies.”
Jones is running unopposed and will not be on the primary ballot in March.
NC District Court Judge District 16 Seat 4 (No primary)
Dorothy Hairston Mitchell was first appointed to her seat in December 2021 by then-governor Roy Cooper to replace Brian C. Wilks. She ran opposed to retain her seat in 2022.
Hairston Mitchell received her bachelor’s and law degrees from North Carolina Central University. She may be a familiar face to folks who have been closely following local politics. Hairston Mitchell was the judge who presided over the swearing in of council member Shanetta Burris and mayor Leonardo Williams during the ceremony on December 1.
Hairston Mitchell is running unopposed and will not be on the primary ballot in March.
NC District Court Judge District 16 Seat 5 Democratic Primary
Clayton Jones has been a district court judge since 2018 after he beat out incumbent James Hill, earning 76% of the vote. Jones ran unopposed during his re-election bid in 2022. He currently serves as Chief District Court Judge for Durham County.
A graduate of NCCU law school, Jones worked for 15 years as an assistant public defender, specifically advocating for stronger representation and better outcomes for Durham’s juvenile offenders.
Earlier this month, the News & Observer reported that Jones was arrested on assault and domestic violence charges. Jones called the accusations “entirely false” in a statement released by his attorney.
Jones’s challenger, Durham attorney Christy A. Hamilton Malott, received her law degree from NC Central University and currently practices as a guardian ad litem attorney advocate, according to her LinkedIn profile. She spent seven years at JusticeMatters, helping represent immigrants and others with limited resources. Additionally, as a family law attorney, Malott has represented clients in adoptions, guardianship proceedings, divorce, custody, alimony, post-separation support, equitable distribution, and termination of parental rights. In 2017, Malott applied for consideration for Rep. Marcia Morey’s district court seat after Morey was appointed to the state house. Gov. Roy Cooper ultimately appointed Amanda Maris to the seat, which Maris currently holds.
NC District Court Judge District 16 Seat 6 (No primary)
Amanda L. Maris was first appointed to the bench by Gov. Cooper in July 2017. She ran unopposed for the seat in 2018 and 2022.
Maris is a co-founder of the DEAR Program. She often presides over Family Court where she “worked to assist Durham’s families in disputes over custody, child support, alimony, property distribution and divorce,” according to her campaign website.
Maris is running unopposed and will not be on the primary ballot in March.
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