In March, Democratic voters will get a chance to pick Wake County’s next district attorney from a field of three. Meanwhile, most judges in Wake County up for reelection are running unopposed, and voters will have to wait until November to make their pick for sheriff.
All of this year’s judicial and law enforcement races are taking place amid new state laws restricting officials’ discretion and a political climate that is not exactly friendly to criminal justice reform.
Iryna’s Law, passed in the wake of a fatal stabbing in Charlotte that has become a flashpoint in national politics, could resume executions in death penalty cases in North Carolina. It also limits judges’ abilities to grant pretrial release, and requires judges to justify, in writing, granting pretrial release to anyone charged with a violent offense or with three or more prior qualifying convictions—which could have a chilling effect—among other provisions.
And earlier this year, legislators further limited local sheriffs’ discretion over whether to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); under a new law they must notify the agency before releasing people charged with felonies or high-level misdemeanors from jail and hold them for up to 48 hours after scheduled release to allow federal officials to take them into custody.
Candidates for law enforcement and judicial offices will have to navigate these perennial election issues—the death penalty, pretrial release, immigration enforcement—anew on the campaign trail, and potentially in office.
Here’s an overview of who filed to run for district attorney, sheriff, clerk of court, and District and Superior court judgeships in Wake County.
Wake County District Attorney Democratic Primary
District attorneys have significant discretion to decide which cases are prosecuted in court, which are diverted to specialized programs or dismissed, and—frequently—how cases are resolved. With current Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman leaving office after more than a decade, Wake voters have a rare opportunity to choose from a slate that doesn’t include an incumbent. No Republican candidates filed for the seat, so the March primary between three Democrats will effectively decide the election.
Freeman has put her support behind Sherita Walton, a senior associate city attorney advising the Raleigh Police Department. Walton was previously an assistant district attorney in the Wake DA’s Office for nearly five years, prosecuting a range of cases from property crimes to homicides. Before that, she was a prosecutor in Manhattan for about eight years, and also handled white-collar crimes at a private law firm there.
Walton’s platform centers on prioritizing violent crimes, promoting trust in the office through community listening sessions and other measures, and pursuing effective criminal justice reforms, like diversion programs that reduce recidivism. If elected, she would be Wake County’s first Black district attorney.
Melanie Shekita is a veteran of the office, with 27 years of experience as an assistant district attorney, including handling sex crimes and homicides (she was also previously a firefighter). Shekita, if elected, is pledging to keep a violent crimes caseload as DA, work with law enforcement to address violent crime, partner with the community to reduce youth gun violence, and expand diversion options for people with mental illnesses who are charged with nonviolent offenses. Shekita has the endorsement of Freeman’s predecessor, Colon Willoughby.
Wiley Nickel worked in Wake County as a criminal defense attorney before serving two terms in the North Carolina state senate and then one term in Congress. Earlier this year he announced he would run for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat but dropped out when former Gov. Roy Cooper entered the race.
As district attorney, Nickel is pledging to be a “countywide voice for law enforcement” and establish a community engagement office to share information about the DA’s office with constituents. He says he will focus on violent crime and property theft, while deprioritizing marijuana arrests. Nickel has been endorsed by a host of local and state officials.
None of the candidates’ campaign websites address their stances on the death penalty, which Freeman controversially sought more than any district attorney in the state from 2015 to 2020.
Wake County Sheriff (No primary)
There won’t be a primary in the sheriff’s race. Instead, Democratic incumbent Willie Rowe and his Republican opponent Kenneth Blackwell will face off in November.
Rowe started working with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office in 1985 and worked his way up the ranks before retiring in 2013. He was elected sheriff in 2022. Earlier this year, Rowe touted on his campaign Facebook page that, since his election, the office had hired over 300 people, implemented crisis intervention training for all staff, and reinstated a senior wellness check program.
Blackwell has served as a Wake County deputy, a U.S. Marshal and is currently an investigator with the State Capitol Police. Blackwell is running on a platform of reducing response times, prioritizing opioids and human trafficking, expanding mental health services, raising employee pay, and improving community relationships.
Wake County Clerk of Superior Court (No primary)
Clerk’s offices are responsible for all the recording keeping functions in a courthouse. The elected clerk of court oversees these employees and responsibilities.
Incumbent Democrat Claudia Croom is running against Republican Joe E. Teague, Jr. There will not be a primary election.
Croom has more than two decades of experience in the legal field, including as a civil magistrate and in private practice. She was appointed clerk of court last year and is seeking her first full term. There is not much publicly available information about Teague.
NC Superior Court Judges
Superior court judges preside over higher-level criminal and civil cases, such as felonies and civil matters involving more than $25,000, as well as misdemeanor appeals. Superior court judges don’t just serve their home district, they rotate throughout the region. With no competitive races, Wake County won’t see any new faces on the superior court bench this year.
NC Superior Court Judge District 10B, Seat 01 (No primary)
Democratic incumbent Vince Rozier, Jr. is running unopposed. He’s been a superior court judge for about nine years and was previously a district court judge and assistant district attorney.
NC Superior Court Judge District 10D, Seat 01 (No primary)
Democratic incumbent Keith Gregory is running unopposed. He’s been a superior court judge for about eight years and was a district court judge for another eight years before that.
NC District Court Judges
District court judges hear lower-level criminal and civil cases, including traffic infractions and misdemeanors, as well as child custody cases and juvenile crime cases. Just one of eight district court seats up for reelection will be on ballots for the March primary.
NC District 10A, Seat 01 (Republican primary)
Two Republican candidates are seeking this seat, so there will be a primary.
Incumbent Rashad Ahmed Hauter was appointed in 2021; according to Campbell Law School, that made him the first Yemeni American judge in the country. Hauter has previously worked as an immigration attorney, criminal defense attorney, and assistant district attorney with the Wake DA’s office. He was unopposed in his 2024 reelection.
Challenger Daniel Wright doesn’t appear to have a campaign website.
NC District 10B, Seat 01 (No primary)
Incumbent Democrat David K. Baker is running unopposed. Baker was appointed to the bench in 2019 after a decade working for Legal Aid and in private practice focusing on criminal defense and personal injury law.
NC District 10D, Seat 01 (No primary)
Incumbent Democrat Margaret Eagles is running unopposed. Eagles has served as a district court judge since 2009. She was appointed Wake County’s chief district court judge in 2024.
NC District 10D, Seat 02 (No primary)
One Democrat and one Republican filed for this seat, so this race will appear on ballots in November.
J. Brian Ratledge is the incumbent and Republican in the race. He was first elected to the bench in 2018. In 2021, he was named the lead family court judge for Wake County, and primarily presides over family court cases, in addition to some criminal matters. He recently served on the North Carolina Supreme Court’s Rules Advisory Commission and the Wake County Board of Elections.
Mercedes Restucha, the Democrat in the race, is currently an assistant attorney general with the N.C. Department of Justice. She was previously a staff attorney with Disability Rights NC and spent several years in private practice. She recently served on the N.C. State Advisory Committee to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the board of El Pueblo, Inc., among other affiliations.
NC District 10D, Seat 03 (No primary)
Incumbent Democrat Kevin Boxberger is running unopposed. Boxberger was appointed to the district court bench by Gov. Cooper in 2024 and previously worked as a regional defender for North Carolina Indigent Defense Services.
NC District 10E, Seat 01 (No primary)
Incumbent Democrat Sam Hamadani is running unopposed. Hamadani has been a district court judge for about nine years. She doesn’t appear to have a campaign website.
NC District 10E, Seat 02 (No primary)
Incumbent Democrat Louis Meyer is running unopposed. Meyer has been a district court judge since 2012 and was a civil litigation attorney for 27 years before that.
NC District 10F, Seat 01 (No primary)
Incumbent Democrat Chris Brooks is running unopposed. Brooks is a former special deputy attorney general who represented and advised the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. He was appointed to this seat in March 2025.
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