Stevens files for 2026 NC Supreme Court race

Rep. Sarah Stevens, R-Surry, announced this week that she will run for North Carolina Supreme Court in 2026, challenging Associate Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat.

Stevens, an attorney from Mount Airy, has served nine terms in the House, serving as speaker pro tem and chairing committees including Judiciary, Elections Law, and the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee.

“I will be a conservative voice for justice and families on the Supreme Court,” Stevens said in a press release this week. “My experience as a family law attorney and a state legislator has prepared me to be a voice for those who cannot advocate for themselves.”

I’m excited to announce my candidacy for North Carolina Supreme Court.

I will be a conservative voice for justice and families on the Supreme Court. My experience as a family law attorney and a state legislator has prepared me to be a voice for those who cannot advocate for… pic.twitter.com/oqF5RKjUlk

— Rep. Sarah Stevens (@RepSarahStevens) April 30, 2025

Stevens hopes to face Earls, one of two Democrats currently on the seven-member state Supreme Court. Before winning the seat in a 2018 race against two Republicans — incumbent Justice Barbara Jackson and newly switched Republican Chris Anglin — Earls worked as the executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. She was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2020 to chair North Carolina’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice.

The 2026 North Carolina Supreme Court race carries significant implications for the state’s legal and political landscape. With Earls’ seat being the only one up for election, the outcome could either solidify the current 5-2 Republican majority or provide Democrats a foothold to influence future court decisions.

The November 2024 race for state Supreme Court between appointed Justice Allison Riggs and Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin remains the only election in the nation that has not been certified. Riggs leads Griffin by 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million ballots cast last fall. Griffin challenged more than 65,000 ballots counted in the final tally. 

US Chief District Judge Richard Myers, who is overseeing the election dispute over Riggs’ seat, set a Friday deadline for parties to submit written legal arguments. Myers plans to issue a summary judgment in the dispute without holding oral arguments or a trial. Myers has not indicated when he will issue a decision.

The post Stevens files for 2026 NC Supreme Court race first appeared on Carolina Journal.