Who is running for District Court Judge, District 26, Seat 21 in 2026?
Here are the candidates for District Court Judge, District 26, Seat 21 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in District Court Judge.
Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions.
Rhonda L. Patterson-Wrighten
Democrat · IncumbentDistrict Court Judge, District 26, Seat 21 (Mecklenburg County)
Rhonda Patterson-Wrighten, who appeared on earlier ballots as Rhonda Patterson, was appointed to the Mecklenburg County district court by Governor Roy Cooper in September 2022 and elected to the seat that November23. She previously ran her own firm, The Patterson Law Office, and worked at the law firms K and L Gates, Alston and Bird and Offit Kurman24. She is unopposed on the November 2026 ballot in this partisan race1.
- District Court Judge, 26th Judicial District, since her 2022 appointment; she says she has spent the last three years primarily in family and domestic violence courtrooms, both civil and criminal24
- Founder and managing attorney, The Patterson Law Office, PLLC; partner, Offit Kurman; associate, K and L Gates and Alston and Bird; adjunct instructor, Johnson C. Smith University's Metropolitan College24
- B.A. in communication studies and romance languages, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2003; J.D. with honors, UNC School of Law, 20064
- Appointed by Governor Roy Cooper on September 2, 2022 to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Rickye McKoy-Mitchell2. Elected without opposition to Seat 21 on November 8, 2022, for the term beginning January 1, 20233. Both 2026 primaries were canceled and she is unopposed in November31.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.