When it comes to local contests, voters may not need much time to decide who they’re going to support at election time. But statewide contests – like the N.C. Court of Appeals, for example – may cause voters to spend a few minutes longer at the polls before deciding who to vote for.
Michael Byrne is the Republican nominee whose name will appear on the November ballot. He faces incumbent John Arrowood, who was appointed to the court in 2017, for Seat 1 on the 15-judge court.
Byrne, 59, has been an administrative law judge for the past six years, and he said that experience, coupled with close to 20 years focused narrowly on representing state employees and police officers, gives him the skill set needed to be an effective court of appeals judge.
Appeals Court judges serve an eight-year term, Byrne explained on Monday’s TownTalk, and the N.C. Court of Appeals is the second highest court in the state behind the State Supreme Court.
Byrne said 85 percent of cases end at the N.C. Court of Appeals level.
As an attorney, Byrne said he’s argued more than 20 cases at both the state Supreme Court and appellate level – “I was fortunate,” he said. “I never lost a law enforcement case on appeal.”
The 15 appellate judges cover the entire state and usually hear and deal with more than 1,000 cases a year.
Compared to the state Supreme Court, that’s a lot. Appellate judges have to be able to do their jobs quickly and efficiently, he said.
Similarly, administrative court judges handle a lot of cases, too. Byrne said he’s issued more than 400 decisions; the 10 that went to the court of appeals were all unanimously affirmed, he added.
He announced his candidacy one year ago, and since then, he’s been putting lots of miles on his trusty Volvo station wagon as he travels the state meeting people and campaigning.
And although he’s been a registered Republican since he was 18, Byrne said political affiliation plays no role in his work as a judge.
“My number one concern is fairness and due process for everyone,” he said. “I’m never going to let political considerations affect a ruling that I make. The law’s the law for everyone.”
His philosophy is simple, he said, something he learned from his mentor Julian Mann: “Get it right.” My overall saying is ‘A fair judge. Period. For everyone. Period.’”
More than anything else, people want to know that the judge that’s hearing their case is fair, he said, that they don’t favor one side or the other.
Byrne said he hears cases involving agencies that have been headed by Democrats and others by Republicans.
“The difference in the way I treat them is nothing,” Byrne said. “Because the law’s the same for everybody.”
You can learn more about Byrne and his candidacy at www.mb4nc.com and about all contests in the upcoming November elections at https://ncvoterguide.org/ and https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/
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