GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2005
SESSION LAW 2006-96
SENATE BILL 1991
AN ACT to provide balance among the counties in the residency of district court judges in district court district 13 and to divide superior court district 13.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. G.S. 7A-133 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(b2) The qualified voters of District Court District 13 shall elect all six judges established for the District in subsection (a) of this section, but only persons who reside in Bladen County may be candidates for one of those judgeships, only persons who reside in Columbus County may be candidates for one of those judgeships, and only persons who reside in Brunswick County may be candidates for two of those judgeships. The district court judgeship established for residents of Bladen County by this subsection shall be the judgeship currently held by Judge Phillips, who resides in Bladen County. The district court judgeship established for residents of Columbus County by this subsection shall be the judgeship currently held by Judge Jolly, who resides in Columbus County. The district court judgeships established for residents of Brunswick County by this subsection shall be the judgeships currently held by Judge Barefoot and Judge Warren, who reside in Brunswick County. Those judges' successors shall be elected for four-year terms in the 2008 general election. Candidates for the remaining judgeships in District 13 may be residents of any county within the district."
SECTION 2. G.S. 7A-41(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a) The counties of the State are organized into judicial divisions and superior court districts, and each superior court district has the counties, and the number of regular resident superior court judges set forth in the following table, and for districts of less than a whole county, as set out in subsection (b) of this section:
Superior
Judicial Court No. of Resident
Division District Counties Judges
______________________________________________________________________
First 1 Camden, Chowan, 2
Currituck, Dare, Gates,
Pasquotank, Perquimans
First 2 Beaufort, Hyde, 1
Martin, Tyrrell, Washington
First 3A Pitt 2
Second 3B Carteret, Craven, 3
Pamlico
Second 4A Duplin, Jones, 1
Sampson
Second 4B Onslow 1
Second 5A (part of New Hanover, 1
part of Pender see subsection (b))
5B (part of New Hanover, 1
part of Pender see subsection (b))
5C (part of New Hanover, 1
see subsection (b))
First 6A Halifax 1
First 6B Bertie, Hertford, 1
Northampton
First 7A Nash 1
First 7B (part of Wilson, 1
part of Edgecombe,
see subsection (b))
First 7C (part of Wilson, 1
part of Edgecombe, see
subsection (b))
Second 8A Lenoir and Greene 1
Second 8B Wayne 1
Third 9 Franklin, Granville, 2
Vance, Warren
Third 9A Person, Caswell 1
Third 10A (part of Wake, 2
see subsection (b))
Third 10B (part of Wake, 2
see subsection (b))
Third 10C (part of Wake, 1
see subsection (b))
Third 10D (part of Wake, 1
see subsection (b))
Fourth 11A Harnett, Lee 1
Fourth 11B Johnston 1
Fourth 12A (part of Cumberland, 1
see subsection (b))
Fourth 12B (part of Cumberland, 1
see subsection (b))
Fourth 12C (part of Cumberland, 2
see subsection (b))
Fourth
13 13A
Bladen, Brunswick,
2 1
Columbus
Fourth 13B Brunswick 1
Third 14A (part of Durham, 1
see subsection (b))
Third 14B (part of Durham, 3
see subsection (b))
Third 15A Alamance 2
Third 15B Orange, Chatham 2
Fourth 16A Scotland, Hoke 1
Fourth 16B Robeson 2
Fifth 17A Rockingham 2
Fifth 17B Stokes, Surry 2
Fifth 18A (part of Guilford, 1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 18B (part of Guilford, 1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 18C (part of Guilford, 1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 18D (part of Guilford, 1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 18E (part of Guilford, 1
see subsection (b))
Sixth 19A Cabarrus 1
Fifth 19B Montgomery, Randolph 1
Sixth 19C Rowan 1
Fifth 19D Moore 1
Sixth 20A Anson, Richmond, 2
Stanly
Sixth 20B Union 1
Fifth 21A (part of Forsyth, 1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 21B (part of Forsyth, 1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 21C (part of Forsyth, 1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 21D (part of Forsyth, 1
see subsection (b))
Sixth 22 Alexander, Davidson, 3
Davie, Iredell
Fifth 23 Alleghany, Ashe, 1
Wilkes, Yadkin
Eighth 24 Avery, Madison, 2
Mitchell, Watauga, Yancey
Seventh 25A Burke, Caldwell 2
Seventh 25B Catawba 2
Seventh 26A (part of Mecklenburg, 2
see subsection (b))
Seventh 26B (part of Mecklenburg, 3
see subsection (b))
Seventh 26C (part of Mecklenburg, 2
see subsection (b))
Seventh 27A Gaston 2
Seventh 27B Cleveland, Lincoln 2
Eighth 28 Buncombe 2
Eighth 29A McDowell, Rutherford 1
Eighth 29B Henderson, Polk, Transylvania 1
Eighth 30A Cherokee, Clay, 1
Graham, Macon, Swain
Eighth 30B Haywood, Jackson 1."
SECTION 3. The superior court judgeship established for District 13A by Section 2 of this act shall be filled by the judge currently serving District 13 who resides in Bladen or Columbus County, who shall serve until the expiration of that judge's current term.
SECTION 4. The superior court judgeship established for District 13B by Section 2 of this act shall be filled by the judge currently serving District 13 who resides in Brunswick County, who shall serve until the expiration of that judge's current term.
SECTION 5. Section 5 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2006. Section 1 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2006, or the date upon which Section 1 of this act is approved under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, whichever is later. Sections 2, 3, and 4 of this act become effective October 1, 2006, or the date upon which Section 2 of this act is approved under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, whichever is later.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 30th day of June, 2006.
s/ Charlie S. Dannelly
Deputy President Pro Tempore of the Senate
s/ James B. Black
Speaker of the House of Representatives
This bill having been presented to the Governor for his signature on the 30th day of June, 2006 and the Governor having failed to approve it within the time prescribed by law, the same is hereby declared to have become a law.
This 11th day of July 2006
s/ Anthony M. Donaldson, Jr.
Enrolling Clerk