Judge Attendees of the ceremony included justices of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and family and friends of Judge Flood. height: 100%; Our newest attorneys are not getting a chance to do that, and they are missing out on so much that is not really measurable . What changes to North Carolinas system of judicial elections do you believe are necessary, if any? What was your very first job? Freshwater Smith ( Republican Party) ran for election for judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. program in Judicial Studies. Judge Stroud is a fair & experienced Court of Appeals Chief Judge running to ensure our state courts enforce laws as. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of providing the opportunity for electronic filing and for people to be able to access court information remotely, without having to take time off from work, drive to a courthouse, and take time to get the information they need or to file documents. Operations: Meghann Olshefski Mandy Morris Kelly Rindfleisch $('.collapse').collapse('show'); $('.showResponses').hide(); Only the General Assembly has the authority to adopt public financing or any other changes to judicial elections in North Carolina and given the possibility of cases before the courts regarding these laws, under the Code of Judicial Conduct, I cannot state whether I support or oppose a particular system. You watch an attorney and say, That is a good idea. Or you watch other attorneys doing things and say, I am never going to do that!, Now, sure you can have your hearing remotely, but the only case that attorney is hearing is their own. background-color: #ccc; I believe our court was the first in the nation to have e-filing, so we were cutting-edge in the 1990s, but we did not expand it. } }) color: #0645ad; And we have five new judges, which as far as I can tell is the largest percentage of the court turning over at one time since it was created. background-color: #6db24f; margin: 8px auto; } One of the things I was thinking about during the orientation with new judges was with remote proceedings, I worry about the socialization and the education of new attorneys. Technically, he is a judicial candidate, having already declared that he intends to run again, but there has been debate in the legal community about whether its proper for judges to function as perpetual candidates, several people of both political parties said in interviews. margin-bottom: 4px; Name:Donna Stroud Political party:Republican Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 58 Campaign website:www.JudgeStroud.com Occupation:Chief Judge, NC Court of Appeals Education:1985, Campbell University, BA . Beasley appointed Stroud in the final days of 2020, and Newby affirmed the choice after his election. .votebox_legend { Apply today! I think thats obvious by the folks that have endorsed me, she told The News & Observer in an interview Thursday. Thank you for your message. nc court of appeals judge seat 09 stroud, donna 12/06/2021166 white deer trail (919) 815-4259judgestroud@yahoo.com . North Carolina gained a U.S. House seat after the 2020 census and now has 14 seats. Judge Donna Stroud was sworn in as chief judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals on Jan. 1, 2021. Commission Members in Attendance in Person: Mike Mitchell, Attorney, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP . About $13,000 of the PACs money was spent on direct mail supporting Freshwater Smith, the most recent campaign finance reports show. State legislature | color: white; Last week, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued guidelines for the resumption of in-person oral arguments, . I have served as a judge on the Court of Appeals since I was first elected in 2006; I was re-elected without opposition in 2014, and I was appointed as Chief Judge as of January 2021. .inner_percentage { How to vote | background: #4c4c4c; .widget-row.value-only.white { .non_result_row div { Only judicial candidates may endorse other candidates, and Newby will hit the mandatory retirement age for North Carolina judges before his current term expires, so he cannot be considered a judicial candidate. I am also on the Family Court Advisory Commission, and I was a Family Court judge. width: 100% } She assumed office on January 2, 2007. External Relations: Moira Delaney Hannah Nelson Caroline Presnell NC Court of Appeals Judge . Personal Facebook. Source. The teachers and doctors and coaches who normally see children and would be the source of reports are not seeing them. background-color: #003388; Newby did not respond to a request for comment. Click here to read the survey answers. She began serving as Chief Judge as of January 2021. --link-color: #337ab7; Stroud has served for 15 years on the Court of Appeals, where she has written over 1,200 . Stroud has received donations from several prominent lawyers and businessmen, including former Supreme Court justices Bob Edmunds and Bob Hunter and developer John Kane, but no members of the General Assemblys Republican leadership. width: 350px; vertical-align: middle; I believe my work over the past 34 years has demonstrated these qualities. .election_results_text { What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder? I went to my first meeting of the Chief Justices Commission on Professionalism yesterday, and Chief Justice Newby was talking about the issues the commission is looking at and things the court is looking at. In 2004, she was elected to the Wake County District Court (10th Judicial District), where she served until her election to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2006. The General Assembly has now provided funding for electronic filing and the system should begin rolling out this year. Records show that $4,000 flowed from Bergers committee to NC for Justice PAC on April 26, less than a week after the PAC was formed. We have to be fair and impartial in reviewing what the Legislature has donethat is our job under the Constitution, she said. The more I think about it, there was so much you could learn just sitting there for 15 minutes, and you can also talk to attorneys or ask the clerk about something. } Ballot measures, Who represents me? .top_disclaimer { There was an error trying to send your message. } North Carolina was first in the nation in creating an electronic filing system for the appellate courts in the 1990s but has fallen far behind other states and the federal courts in implementing an electronic filing system for the trial courts in all 100 counties. I had been preparing during the last year because Chief Judge Linda McGee was retiring, but I did not know for sure if I would be appointed because the chief justice makes that decision and the results of that election were delayed. font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0; if (window.jQuery) { What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? top: -1px; It is hard to quantify, but I cannot imagine learning to be a good lawyer without sitting there in court and watching. .votebox-covid-disclaimer { Ballotpedia features 395,402 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. This story was originally published May 14, 2022, 9:00 AM. In particular, I will continue my work in updating and improving court processes and transparency both on the Court of Appeals and in the trial courts in my role as Chief Judge and as Chair of the Chief Justices Rules Advisory Commission. As a Court of Appeals judge for 15 years, Stroud has written over 1,000 judicial opinions and is serving her first year as chief judge. The complex cases that will take more court time are building up, so where you might have one or two big felony cases, now you might have three to four times as many, and those are going to have to work their way through the system. } Stroud cited arch-conservative former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms as her political hero when she first ran for judicial office in 2004. We have so much that comes from Juvenile Court, and at least two of our judges were Juvenile Court judges. .votebox-results-metadata { Incumbent Donna Stroud defeated Beth Freshwater Smith in the Republican primary for North Carolina Court of Appeals on May 17, 2022. 1) Please tell us what in your record as a public official or private citizen demonstrates your ability to be effective, fair, and impartial on the bench? Since we review cases from the entire state, appellate judges have a good overview of this situation. .percentage_number { So I asked if the documents were saved on the network, and he said, No, I reimaged your hard drive. Fortunately, I had emailed my notes and orders in progress to myself as a backup on all but two cases. $('.hideResponses').show(); Michael Stading is a judge of the North Carolina 26th Judicial District. The courts regularly, of course, have to review actions, statutes that the legislature has done. Research: Josh Altic Vojsava Ramaj She is a graduate of Campbell University, summa cum laude, with a BA in Government in 1985, and a graduate of the Campbell University School of Law, with a We have talked several times in this short time since we have taken on our new roles, looking at various areas and making sure we know all the things that need to be taken care of, and we will continue to do this. font-size: 20px; These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. text-align: center; 2023 Judge Donna Stroud Storytelling & Digital by The Bard Company. } width: 90%; .votebox-scroll-container { .contact_office { margin-top: 0.3em; margin-bottom: 0em;margin-right: 0.5em;} She has been an active member of the North Carolina Bar Association throughout her career, but her involvement with the NCBA stretches even further. Freshwater Smith, a longtime prosecutor who has served as a district court judge since 2016 in Wilson, Nash and Edgecombe counties, calls herself a Christian conservative. display: inline-block; But I can address my own experience and objective information about public financing. Chief Judge Stroud Chief Judge Donna Stroud is running for re-election to continue her work enforcing the law as written, upholding the Constitutions of the United States and North Carolina, and ensuring every person in every case is treated fairly. Aside from babysitting and tutoring, my first real job was working in The Villager gift shop at Neuse Sport Shop in Kinston. The way it has worked in the past at the Court of Appeals is normally we have one or two new judges, and we dont have a formal training program. padding-top: 3px; width: 100% !important; | Yes, you can call or do a video conference, but most people are just not going to ask the type of questions you would ask if we were all here, or do it as frequently, and we were concerned about that. During this time, she also served as an arbitrator for the 10th Judicial District Court and as a certified superior court mediator. They had different styles as chief judge but both were great to work with. Working remotely has not impaired our ability to get our opinions done. jQuery( ".votebox" ).each(function( index ) { [2][5], .votebox { The West is wilder than it was, Drennan said. Donna S Stroud, North Carolina Court of Appeals: Profile and Biography - Bloomberg Markets Subscribe Live Now Bloomberg TV+ Bloomberg Daybreak Europe Bloomberg Daybreak Europe.. margin-top: 0px; School districts | Donna Stroud completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. } Donna Stroud | Republican Place of Residence: Garner, NC Education: 2014, LL.M., Judicial Studies, Duke Law School; 1988, J.D., Campbell Law School, ranked 1st in class; 1985, B.A., summa cum laude, Campbell University Occupation: Chief Judge Employer: Court of Appeals Date Admitted to the Bar: 1988 Legal/Judicial Experience: .widget-row.Green { .votebox-results-metadata-p { The legislature is the branch of government that is to make law, and the judiciary has to ensure that the laws are carried out, and I think thats why both areas are, you know, interested in each other, she said. display: block; Maintaining our collegiality is important and we have been talking about how to do that, especially in the current environment. } .votebox_legend .non_result_row { The Bar Association gives us an opportunity to hear from people from all over the state. p.survey-response {white-space: pre-line;} width: 250px; .widget-row.Libertarian { } $('.showResponses').show(); Chief Judge Donna Stroud enjoys the distinction of being designated by two chief justices. } color: #6db24f; Many experienced judges have retired or left the Court in recent years, and all but 3 of the 15 judges on the Court are in their first term; five have served just over a year. } }) It was after the election when the results were still undetermined, and we didnt really know what was going to happen or when. Or if the attorney does not want to travel six or seven hours to come to Raleigh these are things we are considering since we have a. remote option we can use. 9, Republicans Beth Freshwater Smith and Donna Stroud face off. } I work hard and I am devoted to protecting the integrity of our courts and judicial independence. Court of Appeals . } Like everybody, you have to get used to it whether you like it or not. There will be a pent-up demand for some cases that are already happening and some things that are not, like jury trials. She assumed office in 2017. padding-left: 0; I represented individuals, businesses, and towns in many types of cases, civil and criminal, in many different counties and courts. Mr. Davis was born on March 13, 1939 in North Hornell to Lewis F. and Margaret Angielee (Dodge) Davis. padding-left: 8px; .widget-key { . RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. and four other elected officials may have violated state election laws by donating to a political action committee. We have a very collegial court, which is very important, but it is more difficult to maintain collegiality when everybody is spread out. A political action committee called True Conservative Judges is also pouring money with hard-to-source origins into the Stroud-Freshwater Smith primary race as well as two other Republican judicial primaries. text-align: center; In addition to the Republican lawmakers who are some of her biggest political donors, Freshwater Smith has outside PAC support thats funded indirectly by the Republican State Leadership Committee, a national group focused on increasing GOP power in state legislatures. color:white; Obviously, 2020 was a very unusual year in many ways, but since I would be the senior judge we had assumed I would be the next chief. Stroud worked as a lawyer with this firm until 2004. She also earned an LL.M. I would have loved to have had all 15 here, which we would have done in normal circumstances. I have served as Chief Judge since January 2021, when I was appointed to this role by Chief Justice Paul Newby. .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { We have a lot of special challenges this year, as everyone does with the pandemic and all the issues in 2020, aside from our normal court work of dealing with calendars and opinions. p.survey-response {margin-left:10px;} The ad posted on the groups Facebook page calls Stroud a RINO, short for Republican in name only, and The Liberal Choice for the Court of Appeals., In a now-deleted Facebook comment responding to the ad, Ray Daly, a Moore County home builder, wrote, Thanks Justice Berger, Ill send it out!. Both of the chiefs I served with, John Martin and Linda McGee, were extremely encouraging and so helpful. The Court of Appeals is an error-correcting court which reviews cases to ensure that trial courts follow the law as set out by the General Assembly and the Supreme Court. With 2020 being such a chaotic and divisive year in many ways, I was honored and glad that I had the support of both chief justices. A judge must be impartial, independent, and devoted to protecting the rule of law. padding-top: 8px; margin-top: 16px; Chief Judge Donna S. Stroud has been formally invested as Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals during a swearing-in ceremony. For example, if we have bad weather, snow and ice, if attorneys want to argue and they want to do it remotely, it is a good option to get their case heard. For example, I have been endorsed by many groups including the North Carolina Advocates for Justice; the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, the Sierra Club, and the Police Benevolent Association. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well. } At some point the new statewide electronic filing system is going to extend to the appellate courts. She is a graduate of Campbell University, summa cum laude, with a BA in Government in 1985, and a graduate of the Campbell University School of Law, with a J.D. Ive been a prosecutor, so have that perspective. After 16 years in private practice she became a District Court judge in Wake County. .external_links_table { width: auto !important; } div.oneoff-scrollbox.regular { height:400px; overflow:scroll; margin:20px; padding:10px; border:1px solid gray; } Some attorneys would rather get a case done sooner with a remote argument, and others would rather wait. Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Experience and a proven track record as an appellate judge. Chief Judge Donna Stroud Judge Chris Dillon Judge John Tyson Judge Valerie Zachary Judge Hunter Murphy Judge John Arrowood Judge Allegra Collins Judge Toby Hampson Judge Jeffery Carpenter Judge April Wood Judge Fred Gore Judge Jefferson Griffin Judge Julee Flood Judge Michael Stading } .race_header.republican { .widget-row.Republican { She won in the general election on November 8, 2022. He was elected in 2020 to succeed Mark Meadows,. margin-bottom:0px; Chief Justice Newby wants to help this court in any way he can. I have been endorsed by many former Republican and Democrat justices and judges, including my predecessors as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, Chief Judge John Martin and Chief Judge Linda McGee. To view Stroud's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here. Get the latest on Chief Judge Donna Strouds re-election campaign. My primary opponent has no appellate court experience at all, as either an attorney practicing before the Court or as a judge. Chief Judge Stroud was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2006 and re-elected without opposition in 2014. [6]. There are a lot of other areas too, such as coronavirus litigation, that will be coming to our courts. Freshwater Smith has acknowledged in interviews that she was recruited to run by judicial and legislative leaders, but has declined to name them. In 2014, Chief Judge Stroud graduated from Duke Universitys School of Law LL.M. overflow-y: hidden; Please try again later. I graduated from Campbell University in 1985 with a BA in government, with highest honors, and from Campbell Law School with a JD, ranked first in my class, in 1988. Shutdowns of courts during the pandemic led to backlogs of cases in many courts and in some instances the delays have meant that people must wait for months or years simply to have a case heard. She was born and raised in Kinston, NC, and attended Campbell University. .mw-body #mw-content-text .votebox .race_header h5.votebox-header-election-type { .widget-img { width: 250px; I compare it to a small wedding, where they are in charge of the guest list, the dress, the invitations and the thank you notes. With two tight races certified, NC Republicans fall one vote short of total control. Some who have worked for years in GOP politics. The messages say an attorney who clerked for Berger and two other Court of Appeals judges was among those passed over. In an interview, Freshwater Smith acknowledged that judges on the Court of Appeals do not have the power to appoint. $('.pastResponses').hide(); , that is a judge and now has 14 seats, 2022 in private practice became. Electronic filing and the system should begin rolling out this year.show ( ) ; Michael Stading is a idea! 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