Voters pick Allen, Stroud, Stading to represent GOP in Nov judicial elections | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is David Bass.

    Republican primary voters picked Trey Allen, Donna Stroud, and Michael Stading to represent the party on the November ballot in three key appellate court races - one to the N.C. Supreme Court and the other two for the N.C. Court of Appeals.

    The headliner matchup was a three-way contest between Trey Allen, Victoria Prince, and April Wood for the nomination for an N.C. Supreme Court seat. Allen handily won with 55% of the vote to Wood's 36% and Prince's 8%.

    Allen is a former UNC-Chapel Hill law school professor who currently serves as General Counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts. Allen has won the endorsement of leading Republicans, including Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and Sen. Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus.

    Democrats currently enjoy a 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court, but Republicans could retake the majority if they win one - or both - seats up for grabs in the fall.

    Allen will face off against a Democratic incumbent, Associate Justice Sam Ervin.

    Meanwhile, four seats are also up on the N.C. Court of Appeals. Republicans hold 10 of the 15 seats on the Court of Appeals and hope to maintain or build on that advantage in the fall.

    There were two GOP primaries for these seats on May 17. Incumbent Judge Donna Stroud fended off a primary challenge from District Court Judge Beth Freshwater Smith, winning 59% to 41%.

    Stroud has served as chief judge of the Court of Appeals since 2021 and before that as an associate judge from 2007 to 2020.

    In the second GOP primary, District Court Judge Michael Stading prevailed over private practice attorney Charlton Allen 71% to 29%. Stading will take on Democratic incumbent Judge Darren Jackson in the fall. Jackson served as the minority leader in the N.C. House for Democrats from 2017 to 2020 before being appointed by the Court of Appeals by Gov. Roy Cooper.