LAURINBURG — In the race for District Court judge for District 16A, voters can chose from incumbent Michael Stone of Raeford or challenger Angela J. Carter of Shannon.
The nonpartisan judgeship presides over Scotland, Richmond, Anson and Hoke counties. To serve on the District Court, a judge must be licensed to practice law in the state; a district resident; and under the age of 72. District judges serve four-year terms.
Stone was appointed to the bench two years by Gov. Pat McCrory. The appointment came after Stone got the majority of votes from the Judicial District Bar to replace retiring Judge John H. Horne Jr. of Scotland County.
Stone worked in private practice for 20 years before becoming a judge, practicing primarily in Scotland, Hoke and Cumberland counties. He practiced law at his own law firm and before that worked with the firms of Hatley & Stone, PA and Stone & Associates.
He has also appeared in superior courts, making roughly a dozen appearances in the North Carolina Court of Appeals and even argued a case in the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Stone has touted his time as a judge as a reason to vote for him.
“It’s important to have people that are experienced on the bench.It’s so easy to just represent one party and make an argument to the court,” he said. “I thought how luxurious that was until you have to make tough decisions on the bench. That’s when all that experience comes into play. Until you’ve really done it, it’s hard to be able to equate that.”
Stone said his decisions are based on the evidence, facts and the law so that everyone is treated equally.
Stone received a law license in 1990 from Campbell University Law School. His undergraduate degree is from Methodist College.
Carter
Carter said she is running to help ensure fairness in the court system.
“Most people I know don’t want a hook up or a hand out,” she said. “They want the same opportunity as every other person. They want to be heard by the people who call themselves public servants.”
Carter graduated law school from the University of Virginia in 2004 and has been practicing law ever since. She is licensed in both Virginia and North Carolina.
Carter was accepted to Harvard, Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before deciding on Virginia. After having her third child while in law school, she said her perspective on life changed. Originally she said her life goal was to make a lot of money.
Now, she genuinely wants to help people.
“Anytime someone walks into my office, that’s an opportunity,” Carter said. “The people who appear in front of you , as a judge, they need an opportunity. We need to have somebody on the bench that has perspective. A lot of people up there never struggled. My job is to enforce the law, but every person who appears before me is gonna have a different story.”