Judicial candidate research was completed with help from the Wake Forest University School of Law Pro Bono Project.
North Carolina Supreme Court justices are statewide roles, meaning voters across all 100 counties in North Carolina vote in these races. The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state’s highest court. It is composed of the Chief Justice and six associate justices. This is the only N.C. Supreme Court seat up for election this term. Three seats will be up for election in 2028.
Requirements and duties:
- Each justice serves an eight-year term and must be licensed to practice law in North Carolina.
- Justices face mandatory retirement at age 76.
- The Supreme Court has no jury and makes no determinations of fact; rather, it considers whether error occurred at trial or in judicial interpretation of the law.
- The Supreme Court plays a major role in shaping legal precedent in North Carolina and often hears cases involving constitutional rights, criminal justice, redistricting and disputes about the state legislature.
Incumbent Democrat Anita Earls is seeking a second term. She faces former N.C. House Rep. Sarah Stevens, who is a Republican. (Fun fact: the candidates appear to have been born five days apart.) There are five Republicans on the N.C. Supreme Court, and Earls is one of two Democrats. This is expected to be a heavily contested race; both candidates have collectively raised millions for their campaigns.
Anita Earls
Party: Democrat
Incumbent: Yes
Age: 66
Previous experience in elected office:
N.C. Supreme Court Justice (2019-present)
Occupation: N.C. Supreme Court Justice
Description:
Earls states on her website that her concerns are upholding the rights to healthcare, basic education and a clean environment. She says she has "stood alongside people whose right to vote was denied" and has conducted extensive research on census and redistricting issues. She is known for her view on civil rights and expanding voting, while conservative critics have said she has brought an activist perspective to the bench. She dissented in the recent court ruling on the longstanding Leandro case. (The Leandro case advocated for greater public school funding from the legislature but the Supreme Court ruled the judiciary could not force the state legislature to do so. On that matter, Earls wrote, "The current Court appears unable or unwilling to meaningfully check constitutional rights violations.") In 2023, an N.C. judicial panel investigated a complaint that Earls made comments about bias in the courts that alleged to violate judicial conduct rules; the complaint was ultimately dismissed. She is endorsed by the North Carolina Association of Educators, the North Carolina AFL-CIO and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Other personal:
Earls was born in Seattle and grew up “in a mixed-race family at a time when interracial marriages were illegal in most of the country.“ She is married and lives in Durham. She has two sons and three grandchildren. Earls was a civil rights lawyer at the law firm of James Ferguson and with Julius Chambers, well-known Charlotte civil rights attorneys. She was also a lawyer for the Department of Justice in the Clinton administration. She has taught at Duke University and at the law schools of UNC Chapel Hill and the University of Maryland and is the founder of the nonprofit The Southern Coalition for Social Justice. She announced in January she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a bachelor's from Williams College and a JD from Yale.
Review of Candidate Rulings (Source: Wake Forest University School of Law Pro Bono Project)
Associate Justice Anita Earls’ judicial philosophy is characterized by a commitment to advocating for equal justice and reforming civil rights law in North Carolina. This has resulted in a willingness to overturn long-standing practices in favor of doctrines which she perceives as more protective of marginalized communities. Furthermore, her past opinions have expressed a preference for substantive justice (i.e. whether the final outcome is fair and just versus only looking at whether the procedure that led to the final outcome was fair).
Sarah Stevens
Party: Republican
Incumbent: No
Age: 66
Previous experience in elected office: North Carolina House of Representatives District 90 (2009-2026); Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House (2017-2025)
Occupation: Former N.C. state legislator
Description:
Stevens was a longtime N.C. legislator who resigned to run for the Supreme Court seat. Her top issues are prioritizing child welfare, constitutional originalism and judicial restraint. She argues that laws should be "applied as written and judges shouldn't create laws from the bench." Stevens has emphasized her experience in family law and the legislature as preparation for serving on the state Supreme Court. In January 2026, Stevens faced scrutiny after the State Board of Elections found her campaign had accepted two illegal lobbyist contributions, though the board ruled the violations were not intentional and the funds were returned. In her time in office, she helped pass legislation protecting minors from sex offenders. Several media articles reported that a recent GOP fundraiser she attended was hosted by a convicted sex offender.
Other personal:
Stevens worked as a family law attorney for 30 years and has been active in legislative judicial reform. She was the former president of the Surry County Bar Association She has five children and lives with her husband in Mount Airy. She completed treatment for breast cancer in 2024 and has spoken publicly about her recovery. Stevens earned a B.S. from UNC Greensboro and a JD from Campbell University.Candidate Website
Review of Candidate Rulings (Source: Wake Forest University School of Law Pro Bono Project)
Because she has not previously served as a judge, there is no judicial record or appellate history available to evaluate Stevens' approach to deciding cases.
