The Political Beat Primary Candidate Guide: NC Court of Appeals Seat 3

Occupation: Attorney.

Why are you running? Our rights are under attack, and we deserve judges who will uphold them. North Carolina’s current appellate court majorities have largely failed in this duty.: They have allowed extreme partisan gerrymandering, blocked nearly $1 billion from our public schools, and nearly discarded thousands of lawful votes. The only way to reliably protect our rights is to elect a new generation of judges who are clear-eyed about the threats we face and have the right experience to protect our rights on day one.

I have focused my legal career on defending our rights in high-stakes cases. I have fought gerrymandering, fought for our public schools, and defended our votes. I have faced these threats as an attorney and am ready to defend our rights as your next Court of Appeals judge.

What is your legal/judicial experience? I am part of a small group of North Carolina attorneys who are fighting to protect our rights in high profile cases, including in the court I am running to join. Earlier this year, I was part of the legal team that defended Justice Allison Riggs’s win and stopped a dangerous attempt to steal an election. I previously served as an appellate attorney in Josh Stein’s Department of Justice, where I fought gerrymandering, fought for our public schools, and held domestic abusers accountable. I started my legal career clerking and being mentored by United States District Court Judge Loretta C. Biggs, the first African American woman to serve as a lifetime appointed federal judge in North Carolina. I have argued cases in the NC Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, and U.S. Court of Appeals, and I have worked on U.S. Supreme Court cases.

I am the only candidate running for this seat on the Court of Appeals with any Court of Appeals experience and experience fighting back against attacks on our constitutional rights. What is your judicial philosophy?

I believe that all political power is vested in and derived from people, which means that the law must be accessible to us and responsive to our needs. The judiciary is a coequal branch entrusted with specific duties, including to protect our rights and check abuses in the other branches. Exercising that power properly requires careful but courageous judges who are faithful to the law and the facts in every case. My judicial philosophy is informed by many sources: the founding generation’s skeptical view of concentrated power; the progressive movement’s devoted work to understand the real impact of the law on people’s lives; and the work of abolitionists and Civil Rights Era leaders to center the dignity of every person and use litigation to protect our rights.

What separates you from your opponent? My opponent and I have different backgrounds and very different views about the threats we face and what is required to meet this moment. I have experience defended our rights in our Court of Appeals. I know the threats we face because I have seen them up close, and I believe Democratic judicial candidates have an obligation to talk about them. My primary opponent has a very different view. She believes that our current Republican judges will “set aside political or philosophical differences to reach fair and well-reasoned decisions in the vast majority of cases.” She thinks it is inappropriate for judicial candidates to talk about issues or criticize our current majorities. That is the same failed approach that has lost Democrats every Court of Appeals election since 2018. If we are not able to learn from past mistakes this time, we may not get another chance. My opponent has valuable trial judge experience, but the Democrats who have won statewide elections have not been trial judges. Justice Anita Earls and Justice Allison Riggs did not have judicial experience before joining our appellate courts. Their experience was as attorneys defending our rights in court. This allowed them to speak authentically about what it takes to protect our rights and win swing voters. I believe I have the right experience to meet this moment, and I am not alone. Five former Supreme Court Justices have endorsed in this race since I announced my campaign. All five have endorsed me, including our state’s first Black Chief Justice Henry Frye, Chief Justice Burley Mitchell, Justice and former Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Justice Bob Orr, and Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, the first Black woman to serve on our Supreme Court, who started her own judicial career when she was appointed by Governor Jim Hunt at the age of 29. Dozens of current and former elected officials and leading civil rights organizations that have been fighting for equal justice under law since Jim Crow have reviewed the quantity and quality of my experience, and that of my opponent, and agree that I am the right candidate for the future of our courts. I hope I will have your support too.

Christine Walczyk (D)

What is your occupation? District Court Judge 10th Judicial District.

Why are you running? Last year, my friend Judge Allegra Collins told me she would not run for re-election. That news prompted a great deal of soul-searching. I thought about my father, whom I lost to a brain tumor at the age of 54. I had just turned 54 myself, and it made me realize that if I want to fight for our courts and our democracy, the time to get in the arena is now. I am running for the Court of Appeals because we need skilled and experienced judges with the moral courage to safeguard the individual liberties guaranteed by our Constitution, such as the right to free speech, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, access to public education, and the right to vote. In these difficult times, Judges must bring a strong work ethic, the ability to navigate a broad range of laws, and the discipline to write well-reasoned opinions with clarity and purpose. I am increasingly concerned about attacks on the judiciary and the public’s growing loss of trust in our court system. The judiciary is a coequal branch of government, designed to serve as a check on the other two political branches. It cannot fulfill that role if it is weakened by diminished public confidence. I want to fight for a strong, independent judiciary capable of keeping the other branches within constitutional bounds.We also deserve a court that more fully reflects the people of our state. There are eight candidates running for the Court of Appeals in 2026, and I am the only woman. If elected, I would be the only Democratic woman serving on the fifteen-member court. Diverse perspectives matter, and I hope to give Democratic women a seat at the table.

What is your legal/judicial experience? I have worked in the legal profession for more than 30 years. For more than a decade, I co-owned a law firm with Senator Lisa Grafstein. We sought the freedom to fight for the causes we believed in and to serve as a voice for marginalized communities. Our practice represented employees, small family-run businesses, and indigent adults and juveniles charged with crimes. For the past 19 years, I have served as a trial judge in Wake County, presiding over criminal, family, domestic violence, housing, business, and personal injury cases. These are precisely the types of cases most often reviewed by the Court of Appeals. I graduated magna cum laude from the Boston College Carroll School of Management with a degree in Management and a concentration in Finance, and I earned my Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. My specialized judicial training includes advanced instruction in child custody and child development, domestic violence, equitable distribution, and criminal sentencing. I have remained current on statistics and data relating to disparities in the legal system and have sought out diversity and implicit bias training, including Duke University School of Law’s Justice Unbound: The Judge’s Duty to Address Bias and Inequality. I have issued thousands of opinions and seen firsthand how our laws affect our communities. I bring a broad range of legal experience and the ability to make difficult decisions in the public eye. I am battle-tested and have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the values and rights protected by our Constitution. My service to both the community and my profession demonstrates that I am prepared and proven to lead this fight.

What is your judicial philosophy? Every individual is entitled to a fair hearing before a judge who applies the law impartially, without favoritism or bias. One’s race, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status should have no bearing on the outcome of a case. Judges should publish written and signed opinions explaining their reasoning. This transparency helps the public understand how and why decisions are made. As the longest-serving district court trial judge in Wake County, I have had the responsibility of issuing difficult decisions directly to the parties before me, explaining my reasoning, and answering their questions. I have witnessed the profound emotional impact of my rulings, whether it is the pain of a parent whose custodial time is limited, the relief of a defendant found not guilty, or the necessity of committing an individual to a mental health facility. These are transformative decisions that profoundly affect the lives of those involved. I am acutely aware of the gravity and human consequences of every judgment, and I carry that understanding with me in every case I hear. I intend to bring this perspective to the Court of Appeals. My experience as a seasoned trial judge allows me to remember the human realities behind each record, ensuring that the weight and significance of every case inform my appellate review. The most influential documents guiding my interpretation of statutes and laws are our constitutions. The North Carolina Constitution provides the framework for lawmaking, elections, and local governance, and serves as the foundation for state courts to interpret and enforce the law in a manner that reflects the values and priorities of our state. In many respects, it provides more explicit, and sometimes more expansive, protections than the U.S. Constitution, particularly in areas of privacy, education, equal protection, and civil liberties. Equally important is the oath of office that I have taken, and will take again if elected to the Court of Appeals. This oath commits judges to support and uphold both the constitutions and laws of the United States and North Carolina, safeguarding the individual liberties they enumerate. It serves as a constant reminder of the responsibility entrusted to judges to protect constitutional principles while faithfully applying the law. I do not subscribe to any single interpretive approach. Rather, I strive to apply the law thoughtfully and faithfully, with careful attention to its words, purpose, and practical consequences. I am guided by the doctrines of stare decisis and judicial restraint. Courts should exercise caution in departing from prior decisions of the same or a higher court, as consistency and stability are essential to public confidence in the legal system. At the same time, I recognize that the Constitution and our laws must be interpreted in the context of evolving societal conditions and values. Some prior decisions must necessarily be reconsidered to ensure fidelity to the Constitution and the rights it secures. This principle is illustrated by cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, which overruled Plessy v. Ferguson to end the legal basis for school segregation, and Loving v. Virginia, which overruled Pace v. Alabama to end bans on interracial marriage.

What separates you from your opponent? First, my breadth of experience sets me apart. I am the only candidate in the primary race with judicial experience and the only candidate who has practiced law for more than five years. In these difficult and challenging times, we need skilled judges with the knowledge, leadership, maturity, and moral courage to protect our individual liberties and apply the law uniformly. I have been elected five times by the people of Wake County and have demonstrated a sustained commitment to public service through teaching, mentoring, and community involvement. I have been nominated for leadership positions by four chief judges from both parties, and I have volunteered for leadership roles in professional organizations that serve our communities. These include the National Association of Women Judges, the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, and the North Carolina Bar Association’s Women in the Profession Committee. North Carolinians deserve a court that reflects the people it serves. I believe in diversity on the bench and within the legal profession because meaningful representation strengthens public trust and confidence in the justice system as a whole. If elected, I will be the only Democratic woman serving on the court. Qualified women bring unique perspectives and diverse life experiences to the judiciary, enriching deliberations and strengthening the analysis of complex legal issues.I am endorsed by trusted organizations representing a broad cross section of voters, including the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), the North Carolina Voter Education Coalition (NCVEC), the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg (BPC), and the People’s Alliance of Durham (PA). I am also endorsed by more than 25 former judges from all levels of the court system. These are leaders who understand what it takes to do this job well, including Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, Justice Robin Hudson, Chief Judge Linda McGee, Judge Lucy Inman, Judge Charles Becton, and Judge Chris Brook. The full list is at www.judgchristine.org.

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