Judge Kristin Ruth

I have been woefully negligent in failing to introduce Judge Kristin Ruth here, notwithstanding that I have been working on her campaign for over a year. Jerimee’s post about the down-ballot races finally shamed me into getting it together. Judge Ruth will be on the ballot statewide on May 6 (with a four-way, non-partisan primary). I did post about this race earlier, but I wanted to put out something about Judge Ruth herself.

Judge Ruth has been a district court judge in Raleigh for almost 10 years, and is running for the NC Court of Appeals, a statewide position. These races are on the non-partisan section of your ballot, way way at the bottom or on the other side in some counties.

She is very well-regarded by folks who follow the courts, and is extraordinarily committed to her work. She has the endorsement of the NC Association of Educators, NC Academy of Trial Lawyers, NC AFL-CIO, Durham People’s Alliance, Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, the Simpkins PAC (Greensboro) and Equality NC PAC.

Much of her time in recent years has been spent on working on a “problem-solving court” in the child support enforcement world. In order to break the cycle that results in parents going to jail for failure to pay child support, Judge Ruth focuses on connecting parents with services – employment resources, etc. – to help them find a way to support their kids. So far, it’s been a successful program, and she has been recognized with a Judge of the Year award and is asked to speak around the country about her approach.

Judge Ruth is committed to making the courts work. She wants to serve on the Court of Appeals so she can bring her understanding of the way the trial courts work to the appellate bench. She’s been in the trenches, and understands how important it is for the appellate courts to provide clear, practical, workable opinions that can guide trial judges in applying the law.

She has been campaigning for over a year, so you may have seen her at any number of events. She’ll be at the bash on April 27.

Edit: image added by gregflynn