aligned
Wake County, NC ballot

Michael C. Byrne

Republican Party

NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 1 · Wake County, North Carolina · November 3, 2026

Also on the ballot: John S. Arrowood (Democratic Party)

Michael C. Byrne is a Republican Administrative Law Judge running for the NC Court of Appeals seat held by incumbent John Arrowood. A former attorney for law enforcement and public employees, he is endorsed by three police organizations and campaigns on deciding cases strictly by the law's text.

What this office decides

The North Carolina Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appeals court: fifteen judges elected statewide in partisan races to eight-year terms, hearing cases in panels of three. It decides most appeals from trial courts and state agencies, including criminal convictions, custody and family cases, business disputes, and challenges to state rules, and its rulings stand unless the Supreme Court takes the case.

How this race lines up with you

Loading your answers…

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 Byrne in this race.

  • National Association of Police Organizations (for) source
  • North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police (for) source
  • North Carolina Police Benevolent Association (for) source
  • Paul "Skip" Stam (former GOP House Speaker Pro Tem) (for) source

Who they are

Byrne does not hold the Court of Appeals seat; he has been an Administrative Law Judge at the NC Office of Administrative Hearings since June 2020 (mb4nc.com; NCSBE Voter Guide). A Wake County native (B.A. NC State, J.D. Campbell), he devoted his private practice to representing law enforcement and public employees (mb4nc.com). He defeated Judge Matt Smith in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary with about 52% of the vote (Carolina Journal).

Positions

  • Crime & policing: No public issue position found; his practice represented law enforcement and public employees in disciplinary hearings (mb4nc.com).
  • Party politics in courts / Business & regulation / Voting rules: No public position found.
  • Judicial philosophy: judges must "follow the law and the NC Constitution as written," decide "without fear or favor"; writes his own opinions (mb4nc.com; Forsyth Dems voter guide).

Record

Has issued nearly 400 decisions since June 2020; campaign says nine to ten were appealed to the Court of Appeals and unanimously affirmed each time, most recently in 2025-2026 (mb4nc.com; WSOC TV). Before the bench he litigated 20-plus Court of Appeals cases as an attorney (WSOC TV).

Money

Has fewer than 50 individual donors, only seven giving $50 or less, and has put thousands of his own dollars in, versus Arrowood's 1,500-plus small donors, per a Democratic-aligned voter guide; no total figure was found (Forsyth Dems voter guide). Filings: NC campaign finance database.

Recent news

  • 2026-03-03: Defeated Matt Smith in the Republican primary for this seat (Carolina Journal).
  • 2026-01-13: A newsletter noted Byrne had previously donated to Democrats, including Arrowood, before running against him (The Caucus).

What we couldn't find

  • Any stated position on the race's other value issues, a total fundraising figure, or any Trump comment.
Sources (8)