What does the Court of Appeals do?

The Court of Appeals hears appeals from the trial courts and many administrative agencies across the entire State of North Carolina. This court is “error correcting” court. The Court’s main job is to make sure the law is applied correctly, fairly, and consistently by all the State’s trial courts and agencies.

How many judges are on the Court of Appeals?

The Court of Appeals has 15 judges. The court hears cases in panels of three judges. The panels are randomly assigned and changed frequently to ensure that each judge will serve on panels with every other judge over a certain time period.

I’m not sure I live in your district—which one is it?

Judges on the Court of Appeals are not elected in districts. They are elected in state-wide elections, just like the Governor, US Senators, and members of the Council of State. If you’re a registered voter in North Carolina, Chief Judge Stroud will be on your ballot, and she’d be honored by your vote.

Where can I find the opinions issued by the Court of Appeals?

The Court of Appeals issues opinions roughly every two weeks, and they are all available on the Court’s website at https://appellate.nccourts.org/opinion-filings/?c=coa. You can find every opinion Judge Stroud has written since she took office in 2007. As of September 2021, that’s over 1200 opinions!