The Justice Project
The Docket
North Carolina Supreme Court
Voter guide · justiceproject.org

One seat on the court is on the ballot this fall.

Justice Anita Earls (D) faces Sarah Stevens (R). The court is currently 5–2 Republican; the result will keep it at 5–2 or make it 6–1.

5–2conservative majority
11/3 November 3, 2026next election
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Recent decisions

All 210 decisions →
Aug 14, 2026
State v. Dustin J. Martinez
North Carolina’s appellate courts must apply a two-part test when determining whether a writ of certiorari should issue. Cryan v.…
Unanimous
Aug 14, 2026
Sneed v. Johnston
When married couples divorce, the property at issue sometimes includes professional entities such as law firms. In many…
Unanimous
Aug 14, 2026
State v. Terry Wayne Norris, Jr.
In general, state law prohibits individuals with felony convictions from purchasing, owning, or possessing firearms. N.C.G.S. §…
Unanimous
Aug 14, 2026
State v. Kevin Leigh Wingate
The issues presented here are (1) whether the Court of Appeals erred in holding that the trial court committed plain error when…
Unanimous
Aug 14, 2026
State v. Allen Jhalil Williams
The question presented here is whether Mr. Williams was entitled to an instruction under N.C.G.S. § 14-51.2(b), commonly known as…
6-1
Aug 14, 2026
Sessoms v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., et al.
The North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure are intended to facilitate the “expeditious handling of factual information before…
6-1

The party-line pattern

88 divided decisions
Most divided decisions split cleanly on party lines — all five Republicans in the majority, both Democrats in dissent.

53 of 88 divided decisions. The rest divided in smaller ways, but the bloc is the pattern. Every count traces back to the opinion it came from.

All 88 divided decisions, vote by vote
each column is one decision — majority above, dissent below
Majority Dissent
Oct 20, 2023 Aug 14, 2026
Republican appointee Democratic appointee

Glossary

Divided
A decision in which at least one justice dissented, in whole or in part. Unanimous decisions are not counted here.
Majority
The justices who joined the outcome the court ordered — the votes that decide the case.
Dissent
A vote to decide the case the other way, in whole or in part, usually explained in a separate opinion.
Full methodology →