Three justices of the seven-member North Carolina Supreme Court and five judges of the 15-member North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected by North Carolina voters on November 3, 2020, concurrently with other state elections. Terms for seats on each court are eight years. These elections were conducted on a partisan basis.
Incumbent Court of Appeals Judges Linda McGee and Wanda Bryant (both Democrats) did not reopen their campaign accounts with the State Board of Elections, indicating they would not run for re-election, and they did not file for re-election by the time filing closed on Dec. 20, 2019.
Only one candidate from each party filed for each seat, meaning that no party primary elections would be necessary.
In the general election, Republican candidates won all of the races.[1] The results of the Chief Justice race were only confirmed after a lengthy recount process, because of the narrow margin.[2] [3]
Chief Justice Mark Martin, a Republican, announced his resignation in 2019, triggering an election for his seat in 2020. Governor Roy Cooper appointed Associate Justice Cheri Beasley, a Democrat, to become Chief Justice through 2020.[4]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Cheri Beasley (D) | Paul Newby (R) | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Point Analytics (R) | October 27–28, 2020 | 750 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 45% | 44% | 11% | ||
| Meeting Street Insights (R) | October 24–27, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 49% | 44% | 4% | ||
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | October 22–25, 2020 | 504 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 49% | 40% | 11% | ||
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | September 17–20, 2020 | 612 (LV) | ± 3.96% | 44% | 38% | 18% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Generic Democrat | Generic Republican | Other/Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | September 17–20, 2020 | 612 (LV) | ± 3.96% | 43% | 43% | 14% | ||
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | August 6–10, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 38% | 40% | ~22%-23% | ||
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | April 5–7, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 39% | 36% | 25% | ||
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) https://mcusercontent.com/259a50ef0a1608ab2bc2cf891/files/d3c91077-4747-49b5-9fe6-88ce0e274a38/20.05_Civitas_NC_Statewide_Toplines.pdf | Released March 17, 2019 | – | – | 36% | 34% | 30% |
Beasley requested a recount on Nov. 17, 2020.[7] After the recount found the margin between the candidates to be 401 votes, Beasley called for a second recount in a sampling of precincts statewide, as allowed by law.[8] Beasley then conceded the election to Newby on Dec. 12.[9]
The seat then held by Associate Justice Paul Martin Newby was up for election in 2020. Newby announced that he would run for Chief Justice instead, leaving his Associate Justice seat open.[6]
Beasley's elevation to the position of Chief Justice made her Associate Justice seat vacant, which also triggered a 2020 election. Governor Cooper appointed Court of Appeals Judge Mark A. Davis to fill the vacancy as an associate justice.[12]
Judge Reuben Young, a Democrat, was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to fill a vacancy, through the end of 2020, and was eligible to run for a full term.
Judge Christopher Brook, a Democrat, was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to fill a vacancy, through the end of 2020, and was eligible to run for a full term.