Anita Earls
Democrat- Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court since 2019, previously a civil rights attorney
- Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic, which supports abortion access
- Supported by North Carolina Association of Educators and North Carolina State AFL-CIO
A civil rights attorney, Earls was elected to the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2018. Earls said that the murder of her brother, whose killer was never prosecuted, made her "committed to improving our justice system so that everyone is treated equally and no one is denied justice." Earls co-chaired a statewide public safety task force that called for more law enforcement funding.
Sarah Stevens
Republican- Republican State Representative from 2009 to June 2026. Previous president of the Surry County Bar Association.
- Endorsed by NC Values Coalition, which supports abortion bans
- Recommended by Grass Roots North Carolina
Stevens served in the North Carolina General Assembly for more than a decade. A family law attorney, Stevens said "the law should be applied as written" and that she would "apply the principles of conserving liberty to every case." In the General Assembly, Stevens helped to lead a 12-week abortion ban and pass election administration and court reforms.
Anita Earls
Democrat
Sarah Stevens
Republican
ANITA EARLS: In a dissent, Earls argued that Duke Energy should not be allowed to charge some customers more than others. Earls said that imposing higher rate increases on residents of western North Carolina than on those in the eastern part of the state was “plainly unlawful.” Supporters of her position argue ratepayers should be treated equally and that regional pricing shouldn't be used to boost shareholder returns. Critics note that rates may lawfully reflect regional differences in the cost of serving customers.
SARAH STEVENS: Stevens voted for a bill which lets utilities charge financing costs for new plants before construction is complete. Sponsors claim early cost recovery ultimately lowers costs and gives utilities leeway to build reliable energy capacity for surging demand. Critics argued that the law also shifted some costs from industrial and commercial customers onto residential customers.
ANITA EARLS: Earls is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic, which supports abortion access. She has expressed disagreement with the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
SARAH STEVENS: In the General Assembly, Stevens led a bill to ban abortion after 12 weeks, with limited exceptions for medical emergencies, rape, incest, and fatal fetal conditions. She has indicated that she supports cutting off state funds to organizations that provide abortions. Stevens is endorsed by NC Values Coalition, which supports abortion bans.
ANITA EARLS: Earls disagreed with a North Carolina Supreme Court decision relating to the state's responsibility to adequately fund public education. In her dissent, Earls argued that “the State has a duty to guard and maintain the right of every North Carolina schoolchild to access a sound basic education…” The majority held that courts cannot direct how the legislature spends money. In describing her dissent, Earls’ campaign cites school voucher programs that send public dollars to private schools.
SARAH STEVENS: Stevens has voted for legislation that funded private school vouchers and decreased public school funding. Proponents of school voucher programs say giving parents the option to choose where the child is educated leads to better educational outcomes for students, while critics argue they divert money from public schools, which educate most of the state’s students.
ANITA EARLS: In a 2022 decision, Earls ruled to uphold healthcare benefits for 220,000 North Carolina public workers, including former teachers, law enforcement officials, and other state employees. The case involved a 2011 bill passed by the General Assembly that required some current and retired teachers and state employees to pay healthcare premiums to keep their existing coverage, although they had been promised that their retiree healthcare would be premium-free. In her decision, Earls argued that the retired public sector workers were entitled to the benefits they were promised when they were hired. Critics point to the partial dissent in the case which noted there was a genuine factual dispute over whether the right to the benefits existed, as well as the cost to taxpayers.
SARAH STEVENS: Stevens voted in favor of a 2011 bill that covered a budget gap by requiring some current and retired teachers and state employees to pay healthcare premiums to keep their existing coverage. Critics say this bill broke a promise of premium-free retiree coverage. Supporters framed it as a fiscal necessity during a budget shortfall, and the state has since argued the current plan is of “same or greater value.”
ANITA EARLS: Earls previously ran the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Voting Rights Project. In a 2022 decision, Earls ruled that district maps drawn by the North Carolina General Assembly were unconstitutional. In the decision of the Court, the Justices agreed that the maps were an “egregious and intentional partisan gerrymander …designed to enhance Republican performance, and thereby give a greater voice to those voters than to any others.” Critics hold that partisan gerrymandering is a political question that the Constitution assigns to the legislature, not the courts.
SARAH STEVENS: Stevens voted for new Congressional maps in 2023, which redrew districts to favor Republicans.
- Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic
- North Carolina Association of Educators
- Color of Change PAC
- North Carolina State AFL-CIO
- Sierra Club
- EMILYs List
- North Carolina GOP
- NC Values Coalition
- Recommended by Grass Roots North Carolina
