Position/philosophy statement
Raising the Bar; the Conservative Choice for Moore and Hoke Counties
Current Occupation
Attorney
Age (optional)
51
Campaign Phone
9107739576
I am the only Child Welfare Law Specialist in Moore or Hoke counties. The North Carolina Bar has only given that specialist designation to 35 people in the state (including attorneys and judges). What that means is that in all matters involving children I have proven experience and knowledge. The criteria for the designation requires an amount of work in the field that neither of my opponents can come close to. I am licensed to practice law in three states. I have handled cases in every variation of court a District Court judge handles. I am universally respected among my peers in the court system.
I will be a judge for every person that appears in front of me regardless of political affilitation. The potential political difference at the District Court level should not be overly apparent. In District Court, most of the cases over which we preside involve real people with real life, day to day issues so we are tasked with immediately protecting the citizens and following laws as they are written. Each case is so fact based that a judge must look at the facts of each case, apply those facts to the laws as written and rule accordingly. In some cases it is very black and white, but where there is discretion - like bond setting and modifications, a more conservative approach, like mine, will likely result in less discretionary leniency.
I've been an attorney for over 25 years. I grew up an Army brat and became an Army wife. I've lived in over 10 states. I have three children and have been a single mom since 2017. I know what it is like to have your life in upheaval. I have a background in social work specializing in domestic violence. I once sat through a child's sexual abuse medical examination because she attached herself to me when she saw me in the waiting room and wouldn't go into the exam without me. I have seen these cases from the front row for years. I've filed hundreds of child abuse and neglect petitions in this county. I've put the blood, sweat and many many tears into my cases and know I will put the same heart and mind into my cases as a judge.
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Position/philosophy statement
Judges should be experienced in the law, dedicated to the service of the people, and fair to those that come before them.
Current Occupation
District Court Judge — Seat 2 (Incumbent)
I am the only candidate who has judicial experience. I am the incumbent in the seat and as such since I was originally elected in 2022, I have been responsible for hundreds of judgments as well as being an assigned juvenile court judge and family court judge.
I’m the most educated candidate in my race, holding a Masters of Law, a degree beyond my law degree. I have also been awarded a Judicial Juvenile Certification by the NC Administrative Office of the Courts based on presiding over hundreds of cases and taking hours of judicial education classes, specific to juvenile work.
I am the judicial designee on the Moore County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. I coach the only state competition high school Mock Trial teams in Moore County.
As a judge, my party affiliation may help inform voters as to my overall judicial philosophy but it does not control my work. Judges are to be swayed only by the law itself and I firmly believe in applying that in court. I believe that judges should adhere to the laws as they are written, and also to both the state and federal constitutions as those are written. It is my role as a judge to ensure laws are constitutionally applied, and then apply them without favor to any person, party, or group.
I am an assigned family court judge and an assigned juvenile court judge. As such, I’m responsible for my own caseload in family court, juvenile delinquency, and in cases involving the Department of Social Services. As such, I have been personally responsible for ensuring those caseloads remained within time guidelines and have worked to reduce (and almost completely eliminate) the backlog in each assigned category.
In addition, I have been invited to teach other judges about best practices in those courtrooms, and I have been invited to be the judicial reviewer for the UNC School of Government on scholarly articles regarding juvenile law.
I am also the judicial designee on the Moore County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council.
Candidate has not yet responded.
