Fayetteville Observer Voter Guide 2022: Meet the candidates for District Court judge
Democrat Rosalyn Hood and Republican Jonathan Strange are vying for seat 6 on the 12th District Court Judicial District of North Carolina, which is Cumberland County. The seat is currently held by Judge Adam Phillips, who was appointed to Seat 6 in March.
District court judges serve four-year terms.
Below are the candidates' responses to a Fayetteville Observer questionnaire. Responses have been edited for style and grammar.
Rosalyn Hood
Name: Rosalyn Hood
Age: 42
Immediate family: Christopher Simon Morris, Simon Royce Morris and Lillian Simone Morris
Occupation: Assistance District Attorney, Prosecutorial District 14
Elected office held: None
Contact: info@rosalynhoodforjudge.com; rosalynhoodforjudge.com; facebook.com/rosalynhoodforjudge; instagram.com/rosalynhoodforjudge
Bail reform has been pursued or enacted in some communities due to the disproportionate impact that cash bail has on lower-income and minority defendants. What do you think of bail reform? Cash bail reform is needed to ensure that a defendant's rights to be presumed innocent are preserved and to protect victims of violent crimes. Specifically, limiting the use of cash bail practices to serious offenses involving personal harm and entirely otherwise, requiring a mandatory review of the continued need for a secured bond within ten days from the initial bond being set and every thirty days thereafter for which the burden is on the prosecutor to prove that the defendant is a continued threat to the victim or danger to society. Additionally, similar to the sentencing grid, there should be a minimum and maximum bond amount that may be ordered determined by the offense charged and the defendant's income to ensure a more equitable application of the practice.
What are the biggest problems facing the District Court, and how would you fix them? District Courts facing cases involving persons with mental illnesses put a significant burden on the entire system from police and other members of the justice system who have become frontline responders to the growing mental health crisis. The first appearance in court is an opportunity to route a person with recognized mental health needs away from the traditional court process. My goal is to advocate for established practices that are more effective, fair, and timely in cases that involve people with mental health concerns, and I would fully support community-based diversion programs for mentally ill individuals while yet holding them accountable for their actions.
Over our state’s history, judicial races have at times been partisan, where judges run under a party affiliation, and at other times, nonpartisan. Currently, the races are partisan. Which way do you believe is best and better serves the people? I believe nonpartisan races are the only appropriate way to elect judges.
Jonathan Strange
Name: Jonathan Strange
Age: 45
Immediate family: My wife's name is Monica. Our children are Kaila and Samantha.
Occupation: Attorney
Elected office held: None
Contact: strangeforjudge@gmail.com; strangeforjudge.com
Bail reform has been pursued or enacted in some communities due to the disproportionate impact that cash bail has on lower-income and minority defendants. What do you think of bail reform? I believe that the Court System must continually evaluate the effectiveness of bail policies to make sure that accused persons are not punished simply for their economic status. In addition, alternatives to the cash bail system must be further analyzed to make sure there is not a disproportionate impact on the homeless population.
What are the biggest problems facing the District Court, and how would you fix them? The biggest problem facing District Court is the lack of judicial experience in Civil District Courts. The entire case load for Cumberland County Civil District Court is currently being handled by one judge. I have extensive experience in the Civil and Criminal District Courts, a diversity of experience that is fairly unique in Cumberland County.
Over our state’s history, judicial races have at times been partisan, where judges run under a party affiliation, and at other times, nonpartisan. Currently, the races are partisan. Which way do you believe is best and better serves the people? Regardless of whether the races themselves are partisan, we need judges that are willing to set partisan policies aside and commit to following the law. We also need judges that forego courtroom politics, while setting aside any bias for one side versus the other. I believe this is only achievable with extensive practice history in multiple areas of the law. I am the only candidate in my race with experience on every side of the courtroom aisle, and will utilize that experience on the bench.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Voter Guide: Meet Cumberland County District Court judge candidates
