One justice of the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

and six judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected to eight-year terms by

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

voters on November 4, 2008. This coincided with the

presidential President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

, and Council of State elections. North Carolina judicial elections are non-partisan. Primary elections were held on May 6, 2008 for seats with more than two candidates running. The top two vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party affiliation, advanced to the general election. Despite the non-partisan nature of the elections, candidates' party affiliations were well-known. As a result of the elections, the Republicans maintained their 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court. Democrats maintained their majority on the Court of Appeals. Only one Republican (Robert N. Hunter, Jr.) defeated a Democrat in a Court of Appeals race.

Supreme Court (Edmunds seat)

Incumbent Robert H. Edmunds, Jr. ran for re-election and was opposed by Professor

Suzanne Reynolds Suzanne Reynolds (born 1949, in Lexington, North Carolina) is a law professor and dean emerita at Wake Forest University School of Law. She is the first woman to head the school, and was named dean after serving four years as executive associate ...

of Wake Forest University Law School. Edmunds defeated Reynolds in the closest statewide judicial race of 2008.

Court of Appeals (Arrowood seat)

Incumbent

John S. Arrowood John S. Arrowood (born November 4, 1956) is an American attorney and judge. In April 2017, Arrowood was appointed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals by Governor Roy Cooper, to replace Judge Doug McCullough, a Republican who resigned one mon ...

, appointed in 2007, was opposed by former state Board of Elections chairman Robert N. Hunter, Jr.

Court of Appeals (Stephens seat)

Incumbent Linda Stephens ran for election, having been appointed in 2007. She was opposed by attorney

Dan Barrett Dan Barrett is an American musician from Connecticut, New England. He is a member of the rock duo Have a Nice Life. Outside of this, he has released solo work primarily under the names Giles Corey and Black Wing. In 2003, he founded the record labe ...

Court of Appeals (Tyson seat)

Incumbent

John M. Tyson John Marsh Tyson (born July 14, 1953) is an American jurist and government official who currently serves as a judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He also previously served on the court from 2001 to 2009. Personal background Judge ...

was opposed by state District Court Judge

Kristin Ruth Kristin H. Ruth is a former state district court judge in North Carolina, who served District 10 (Wake County). Ruth was the senior partner in her law firm for seven years before being elected to the bench in 1998. She was re-elected to four-year t ...

, former Wake County Clerk of Court Janet Pueschel, and state Utilities Commissioner Sam J. Ervin, IV. In the May 6 primary, Ervin led the field with 37 percent of the vote, followed by Ruth (26 percent), Tyson (22 percent), and Pueschel (16 percent). Ervin and Ruth advanced to the November general election.

Court of Appeals (McCullough seat)

Incumbent Douglas McCullough was opposed by state District Court Judge

Cheri Beasley Cheri Lynn Beasley (born February 14, 1966) is an American attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2019 to 2020; she was appointed an associate justice in 2012. Beasley had previously served o ...

Court of Appeals (Martin seat)

Incumbent John C. Martin, the court's Chief Judge, ran for re-election unopposed.

Court of Appeals (Wynn seat)

Incumbent James A. Wynn was opposed by attorneys Dean R. Poirier and Jewel Ann Farlow in the May 6 primary. Wynn and Farlow advanced to the November general election. Wynn won approximately 48 percent of the vote in the primary, followed by Farlow (37 percent) and Poirier (15 percent).News & Observer: Wynn leads, but Tyson trails
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References

{{North Carolina judicial elections Judicial

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...