Judges & courts

District Court Judge, District 6

Seat 3

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A district court judge hears misdemeanors, traffic cases, smaller civil cases and family matters such as divorce, custody and juvenile cases.

Candidates Compare by issue

Janelle L. Cline

Republican

Special resource prosecutor, N.C. Conference of District Attorneys · Wilmington

The gist

Supports interpreting and applying the law as written
Pledges decisions guided only by law and facts
Supports the same rules and respect for everyone in court

More about Janelle

View sources (1)

Supports interpreting and applying the law as written
Values — Janelle for Judge
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Janelle Cline · janelleforjudge.com
“A judge's role is to interpret and apply the law as written.”
Pledges decisions guided only by law and facts
Values — Janelle for Judge
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Janelle Cline · janelleforjudge.com
“a judge's decisions should be guided only by the law and the facts, never by outside pressure or personal preference”
Supports the same rules and respect for everyone in court
Values — Janelle for Judge
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Janelle Cline · janelleforjudge.com
“every person who appears in court can expect to be treated with the same respect and subject to the same rules as his neighbor”

Melinda H. Crouch

DemocraticIncumbent

District Court Judge, District 6

The gist

Pledges a courtroom where everyone is heard and treated fairly
Pledges to apply the law equally to every individual

More about Melinda

View sources (1)

Pledges a courtroom where everyone is heard and treated fairly
Re-elect Judge Melinda Crouch | District Court 2026
Campaign website · Committee to Re-elect Judge Crouch · judgecrouch.com
“every person — regardless of their circumstances — can expect to be heard, respected, and treated fairly under the law”
Pledges to apply the law equally to every individual
Re-elect Judge Melinda Crouch | District Court 2026
Campaign website · Committee to Re-elect Judge Crouch · judgecrouch.com
“Committed to applying the law equally and treating every individual with dignity and respect.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 1 issue covered in this race.