Hunter Murphy
2016 - Present
2025
8
Hunter Murphy (Republican Party) is a judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He assumed office in 2016. His current term ends on January 1, 2025.
Murphy (Republican Party) ran for re-election for judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He lost in the Republican primary on March 5, 2024.
Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Murphy earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina in 2003 and his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2006.[1][2]
Elections
2024
See also: North Carolina intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
General election
General election for North Carolina Court of Appeals
Martin Moore and Christopher A. Freeman are running in the general election for North Carolina Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
![]() | Martin Moore (D) | |
![]() | Christopher A. Freeman (R) ![]() |
![]() | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Martin Moore advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Carolina Court of Appeals
Christopher A. Freeman defeated incumbent Hunter Murphy in the Republican primary for North Carolina Court of Appeals on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Christopher A. Freeman ![]() | 62.6 | 532,794 |
![]() | Hunter Murphy ![]() | 37.4 | 317,807 |
Total votes: 850,601 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
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2016
Murphy ran to succeed Judge Martha Geer on the North Carolina Court of Appeals.[3] Because the seat was vacated after the primary election, no primary was held. Murphy faced Donald R. Buie and Margaret P. Eagles on November 8, 2016.
Election results
November 8 general election
North Carolina Court of Appeals, Geer seat, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
![]() |
48.70% | 2,159,193 |
Margaret P. Eagles | 45.60% | 2,021,769 |
Donald R. Buie | 5.70% | 252,756 |
Total Votes (2,704 of 2,704: 100%) | 4,433,718 | |
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections Official Results |
2014
See also: North Carolina judicial elections, 2014
Murphy ran for election to the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 4.4 percent of the vote. He competed against Marion R. Warren, Chuck Winfree, John Marsh Tyson, Elizabeth Davenport Scott, Tricia Shields, Jody Newsome, Marty Martin, Keischa Lovelace, Ann Kirby, Abraham P. Jones, Sabra Jean Faires, Daniel Patrick Donahue, J. Brad Donovan, Lori G. Christian, Jeffrey M. Cook, Betsy Bunting, John S. Arrowood and Valerie Johnson Zachary.
[4]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Hunter Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Murphy's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Collapse all
|NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 15 Incumbent
Bildung
University of North Carolina – Double Major in Economics and Religion University of the Pacific – Juris Doctor
Occupation
Judge- North Carolina Court of Appeals
Legal/Judicial Experience
I began my career as a general practitioner in Western North Carolina—a smalltown attorney. In 2016, the people of North Carolina elected me to serve as a judge on our Court of Appeals.
- Why I am running for re-election: I love to help people, and I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve all North Carolinians during my time on our Court of Appeals. With your support, I would appreciate the opportunity to continue serving. Our appellate courts require that judges be thoughtful scholars, passionate about the law, and diligent stewards of our jurisprudence. One of the great things about this job is that my body of work is transparent; my legal reasoning is on the page for you to read, and I believe my opinions, concurrences, and dissents are testaments to my having upheld these standards.
- As a husband and father of teenage twins, I understand my duties are twofold: first and foremost, to maintain the rule of law and the integrity of the judiciary for this generation and future ones; and, second, to be the judge that I would want hearing my case, my wife’s, or my children’s if they were in the parties’ shoes. I believe you would want no less for yourself or your family, and that is why I would like to ask for your vote.
- Scholarship and Stewardship
Maintaining the independence of our judiciary, free from politics.
Our Court is the last stop for 95% of the cases in NC. There is a huge responsibility to get it right and express that in a way which can be applied in future cases.
I don't look up to other people as we are all flawed. I do try follow examples from many of the Christian men in my life and learn from those in my Bible study groups.
My judicial reasoning is on the pages of my opinions. I encourage you to review them.
Honesty and Dedication
I have done a good job for 7+ years and I would continue to do the same if reelected.
A very smart person that is curious and intellectually honest.
That litigants know, win or lose, they received a full review of their case.
The Challenger Explosion, I had just turned five.
My first job was as a busboy and then as a Sandwich Artist at Subway. When I was 16, I served as a runner after school for a law firm.
The Bible- Because I always learn something whenever I open it.
Desperately Wanting - Better than Ezra
Being diagnosed with Autism later in life and all that has entailed.
To make sure that everyone received a fair trial.
That we have the statutory authority to decide habeas petitions individually and without a full panel
Not necessarily.
Legal reasoning and listening skills.
I'm not funny.
This question touches on issues that may come before my Court.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Candidate North Carolina Court of Appeals |
Officeholder North Carolina Court of Appeals |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Hunter Murphy: Court of Appeals, "Experience," accessed October 10, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 29, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing by Elections," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, “Special Election Candidate List,” accessed October 3, 2014
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Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina
State courts:
Supreme Court of North Carolina • North Carolina Court of Appeals • North Carolina Superior Courts • North Carolina District Courts
State resources:
Courts in North Carolina • North Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Carolina