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Tom Murry, Valerie Zachary and Chris Freeman won seats to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. 

Seat 12

According to unofficial results, Republican Tom Murry has won seat 12 on the N.C. Court of Appeals. He won 50.89 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting, over his opponent Carolyn Jennings Thompson. 

Murry previously served in the N.C. House of Representatives 41st District. He also has served as an assistant district attorney and as a Judge Advocate in the N.C. Army National Guard. As a legislator, Murry was the primary sponsor of voter ID legislation and a regulatory reform bill that eliminated over 1400 regulations. 

In a previous interview with the Daily Tar Heel, Murry said the primary goal of anyone who wants to serve as a judge is to be viewed as fair. He also said that his experience as a state prosecutor is very important for the work that the appellate court does.

Seat 14

Republican Valerie Zachary won seat 14 on the N.C. Court of Appeals. She won 52.29 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting, over her opponent Ed Eldred.

The appellate court reviews cases and proceedings occurring in trial courts. She is currently the vice president of the North Carolina Bar Association and is serving her fourth term as a commissioner on the North Carolina Sentencing Commission. She is also a member of the North Carolina Family Courts Advisory Commission. Eldred currently practices law in Orange County—he represents parents in trial courts as well. 

Seat 15

Republican candidate Chris Freeman won seat 14 on the N.C. Court of Appeals. According to unofficial results, Freeman won 51.73 percent of the statewide vote over his Democratic opponent Martin Moore, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. 

Freeman previously served Rockingham and Caswell Counties as a District Court Judge and Assistant District Attorney. He is from Asheville and graduated from High Point University and has a law degree from Regent University. He currently serves as a reservist in the The Judge Advocate General's Corps where he provides legal expertise to the military. 

He aims to bring a commitment to conservative judicial philosophy” to the appellate court, according to his campaign website. 

Freeman recently told the Daily Tar Heel that he would not legislate from the bench and would uphold the constitution. 

“Justice, to me, means that we have a set of laws and rules in the Constitution, and it's a judge's duty to follow those laws, stay in their lane, uphold the Constitution, treat everybody equally as it applies to the law and that the evidence given be very impartial,” he said

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Walker Livingston

Walker Livingston is the 2024 enterprise managing editor at The Daily Tar Heel. She has previously served as summer city & state editor and assistant city & state editor. Walker is a sophomore pursuing a double major in journalism and media and American studies, with a minor in data science. 

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