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Wake County, NC ballot

Anita Earls

Democratic Partyincumbent

NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 1 · Wake County, North Carolina · November 3, 2026

Also on the ballot: Sarah Stevens (Republican Party)

Anita Earls is the Democratic incumbent Associate Justice on the NC Supreme Court, seeking a second eight-year term after a career as a civil rights and voting-rights attorney. She has written rulings and dissents defending expanded voting access and has substantially outraised her opponent.

What this office decides

The North Carolina Supreme Court is the state's highest court: seven justices elected statewide in partisan races to eight-year terms. It has the final word on the state constitution, which puts it at the center of disputes over redistricting, voting rules, school funding, and the balance of power between the governor and the legislature. It also hears death-penalty appeals and sets rules for every court in the state.

How this race lines up with you

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Dossier

Researched 2026-09-23 · Claude Code research agent with web search

Donald Trump: nothing found. No search result found any Trump statement endorsing or opposing Earls in this race.

  • NC Association of Educators (for) source
  • NC AFL-CIO (for) source
  • Eric Holder (former U.S. Attorney General) (for) source
  • National Security Leaders for America (for) source

Who they are

Incumbent NC Supreme Court Associate Justice since 2019, seeking a second eight-year term (Ballotpedia; NCSBE Voter Guide). Previously a civil rights attorney who founded the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and worked in the DOJ Civil Rights Division under Clinton (Wikipedia). Disclosed an early-stage breast cancer diagnosis in January 2026 and continues campaigning (Wikipedia).

Positions

  • Voting rules: Authored the 2022 ruling striking down NC's voter ID law ("the risk of disenfranchisement is very real"); after the court's new majority reversed that ruling, she dissented, telling Bolts in 2026 "it is harder to vote in North Carolina now than in Mississippi" (Bolts).
  • Party politics in courts: Criticized the court for rehearing cases after a partisan change in membership: "the mere change in the personnel would then lead the court to rehear a case" (WUNC).
  • Crime & policing: Co-chaired Gov. Cooper's Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice from 2020 (Wikipedia).
  • Schools: Dissented in the Leandro school-funding case, arguing the court should enforce the constitutional funding right (WFAE).

Record

Dissented in the court's April 28, 2023 rehearing of Harper v. Hall (redistricting), opposing the majority's reversal (Carolina Journal). In August 2023 sued the Judicial Standards Commission, alleging its probe of her diversity comments was First Amendment retaliation (Wikipedia).

Money

Raised over $4 million as of July 2026, about ten times Stevens's total; left-leaning group N.C. Families First has run a multi-million-dollar ad campaign in the race (WUNC). Filings: NC campaign finance database.

Recent news

  • 2026-01: Disclosed an early-stage breast cancer diagnosis, continuing her campaign (Wikipedia).
  • 2026-09-22: Public radio outlets covered the campaign's clashes over rulings and racial-equity proposals (WUNC).

What we couldn't find

  • Cash-on-hand, exact diagnosis date, and a full donor/PAC breakdown.
Sources (10)