NC Court of Appeals Candidates: Three Seats on Your Ballot

October 24, 2026

Have you made your plan to vote yet? Early voting ends at 3 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 31, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. We’ve discussed the vital  Supreme Court you’ll decide on your ballot. Today, we’ll highlight three seats on the NC Court of Appeals you’ll also see on your ballot. 

The Court of Appeals matters to farms. It’s where disputes over the permits, rules and regulations farms live with every day get their first appellate review, and in most cases it’s the final word. As we’ve said, a farm-friendly judiciary means judges who apply the law as written, so producers get the predictability they need to plan ahead. 

Just look at the Burke County chicken case. In May 2025, a unanimous Court of Appeals panel upheld the dismissal of an animal-rights group’s lawsuit against Burke County poultry producer Case Farms, ruling that the Protection of Animals Act’s exemption for lawful farming covers a poultry operation as a whole. The NC Poultry Federation, NC Farm Bureau and NC Pork Council all filed briefs backing Case Farms. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case in December, so the Court of Appeals decision stands.

In August, we  were glad to host Judge Michael Byrne in Selma at our Sixth Annual Judicial Event, where he joined Chief Justice Newby, sitting justices and several Court of Appeals judges. He has been an administrative law judge at the NC Office of Administrative Hearings since 2020, where he has decided more than 400 cases. Ten of his decisions have been affirmed by the Court of Appeals and one by the Supreme Court, and none have been reversed. Byrne lives in Cary and is a graduate of NC State and Campbell Law School.

Judge George Bell has been a Superior Court judge in Mecklenburg County since 2019. Before taking the bench, he ran his own law firm for 12 years, handling criminal defense, family law and personal injury cases. He has experience presiding over more than 100 felony jury trials. Bell lives in Cornelius with his wife and three children. He is a graduate of Cornell University and Regent University School of Law.

Judge Craig Collins has lived in Gastonia since 1997. He spent nine years as an assistant district attorney in Gaston County, then opened his own law firm. He served as a district court judge until 2024, before being elected to the Superior Court. Collins is a former Gaston College trustee and has coached youth sports. He says North Carolina needs “experienced judges who will follow the Constitution and not legislate from the bench.”

Every vote matters in a statewide judicial race. The 2024 Court of Appeals Seat 12 race was decided by 1.78%.  The 2024 Supreme Court race was decided by just 734 votes statewide out of more than 5.5 million cast. Rural and farm voices can make the difference.

You can make your plan to vote at ncsbe.gov. Remember, eligible voters can register and vote at the same time during early voting, which runs through Saturday, Oct. 31, or you can vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Farmers who are there for us every day need us to show up for them just once this election season. 

See you soon,

Adam Caldwell
Executive Director
NC Ag Partnership

P.S. The N.C. State Fair wraps up Sunday, Oct. 25. If you’re headed to Raleigh this weekend, Fine Family Farm of New London is honored Saturday and Wynn Farms of Williamston on Sunday. Here are the final six Farm Families of the Day:

  • Tuesday, Oct. 20: Behind the Pines Farm LLC of Nashville
  • Wednesday, Oct. 21: A.C. Lee Farms of Dunn
  • Thursday, Oct. 22: Wilson Farms of Clinton
  • Friday, Oct. 23: Hickory Creek Farm of Greensboro
  • Saturday, Oct. 24: Fine Family Farm of New London
  • Sunday, Oct. 25: Wynn Farms of Williamston