Incumbent
North Carolina Supreme Court winner?
$355.76
NOV 4, 2026
General Election
Voters choose the office holder.
Overview
Current roleJudge
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
Age66 years old (Feb 20, 1960)
GenderFemale
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LocationNorth Carolina
BackgroundAssociate Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court
EducationYale Law School (J.D., 1988)
Notable personal detailsAnita Sue Earls is an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, elected in 2018 and serving since 2019. She previously worked as a civil rights attorney, including service as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and founded the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in 2007. Earls earned a B.A. from Williams College and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Healthcare
Supports access to healthcare and has described protecting access to healthcare as a constitutional or policy priority; as a justice she has authored opinions that protect retired state employees’ health insurance benefits. Her public materials emphasize healthcare access as part of defending rights and protections for North Carolinians.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports reproductive freedom and access to healthcare while criticizing proposals to significantly restrict abortion; has positioned herself against opponents’ votes for strict abortion limits. She frames reproductive rights as part of protecting rights and freedoms under the state constitution.
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Climate & Energy
The candidate supports protecting a clean environment and has a record of legal advocacy for communities affected by environmental harms; endorsements from environmental groups indicate alignment with pro-environment policies. Her work with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice included legal actions addressing environmental impacts on communities.
News
Anita Earls is being discussed in the context of North Carolina election politics, where Democrats are trying to mobilize rural Black voters ahead of upcoming races. The biggest recent development is a federal judge’s ruling upholding North Carolina’s photo voter ID law, a decision that could affect turnout and remains important for voting-rights debates in the state. Separately, Republicans are ramping up a major election-integrity effort in North Carolina and other battleground states ahead of the 2026 midterms.
North Carolina’s photo voter ID mandate can continue as a judge upholds the law
RNC launches multimillion-dollar election integrity push in 17 states
North Carolina's electoral future may hinge on rural Black voters
Big money flows into state attorney general races as legal battles shape American politics
Endorsements
Endorsers of Anita Earls for North Carolina Supreme Court winner?
North Carolina State AFL-CIO
Labor organization
North Carolina State AFL-CIO endorsed Anita Earls for North Carolina Supreme Court.
EMILYs List
Public endorsement
EMILYs List endorsed Anita Earls for re-election to the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Carolina Federation
Public figure
Carolina Federation endorsed Anita Earls for the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Eric Holder
Public figure
Eric Holder endorsed Anita Earls for re-election to the North Carolina Supreme Court.
People's Alliance PAC
Political organization
People's Alliance PAC endorsed Anita Earls for the North Carolina Supreme Court race.
North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE)
Advocacy group
North Carolina Association of Educators endorsed Anita Earls for re-election to the North Carolina Supreme Court.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Fundraising