AUGUST 4, 2014 NEWSLETTER

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Cen, Lhe candldaLes for ulsLrlcL CourL !udge are locaLed aL Lhe end of
Lhe balloL durlng an elecuon. Addluonally, Loo many people are unaware
of Lhe candldaLes and, unllke oLher races, Lhere aren'L sharply dlvlded
lssues LhaL focus auenuon on Lhe posluon.

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ulsLrlcL CourL ls Lhe Lrlal level courL where mlsdemeanor crlmlnal acuons
llke assaulLs, larceny, and uWl, as well as famlly mauers such as chlld
supporL, cusLody, and dlvorce are heard. 1he vasL ma[orlLy of Lrlals are
bench Lrlals, whlch means LhaL Lhe !udge makes Lhe declslon wlLhouL a
[ury.

A ulsLrlcL CourL !udge does noL hear serlous felony cases such as murder
cases and clvll cases where Lhe plalnu ls asklng for more Lhan $10,000 ln damages. 1hose cases are
heard ln Superlor CourL.

ulsLrlcL CourL serves an lmporLanL purpose. A person ls more llkely Lo have conLacL wlLh LhaL courL,
even lf lL ls [usL for a Lramc vlolauon, cusLody, or dlvorce case. ln addluon, regardless of wheLher you
ever see Lhe lnslde of a ulsLrlcL CourLroom, you wlll llkely have a frlend or famlly member appear
before a ulsLrlcL CourL !udge. ?ou wanL LhaL !udge Lo be experlenced, lnLelllgenL, and
compasslonaLe.

1hls ls why lL ls lmporLanL for dedlcaLed and poLenual voLers Lo Lake Lhe ume Lo undersLand Lhe
posluon, Lhe person who seeks Lhe seaL, and make an lnformed cholce LhaL beneLs Lhe communlLy.
1he [udge's Lerm lasLs for four years. lL can be dlmculL Lo unseaL an lncumbenL ln a subsequenL
elecuon, even lf local auorneys and members of Lhe general publlc are dlssaused wlLh LhaL [udge's
performance.
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1he ma[orlLy of lluganLs ln dlsLrlcL courL are mlddle Lo low-lncome persons. As a Legal Ald auorney, l
have a keen undersLandlng of Lhe lssues faclng LhaL populauon and have made a commlLmenL Lo
upholdlng Lhe ldeal of [usuce ln our sysLem by foregolng hlgh compensauon Lo lncrease access Lo
compeLenL represenLauon ln Lhe courL sysLem for Lhose lluganLs.

l have galned an undersLandlng of Lhe concerns of hlgher lncome lluganLs Lhrough my ume aL
kllpaLrlck law rm. Powever, l chose Lo forego hlgh compensauon Lo be of servlce Lo vulnerable
lluganLs. l have also galned a vasL knowledge of Lhe varlous soclal servlce agencles ln Lhe counLy
Lhrough my Leadershlp WlnsLon Salem paruclpauon and varlous communlLy servlce acuvlues. 1hls ls
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AUGUST 4, 2014 NEWSLETTER
lmporLanL because ulsLrlcL CourL [udges need Lo know abouL
avallable servlces LhaL can be oered or provlded Lo creaLe a
hollsuc approach Lo legal dlspuLes and address crlme. AlLhough
my focus has been clvll cases, l have had slgnlcanL exposure Lo
crlmlnal cases and courLrooms because proLecuve order cases are
a hybrld. Many of Lhose cases are heard ln crlmlnal courLrooms
and requlre speclc knowledge of crlmlnal law, pracuce, and
procedure. My opponenL's experlence doesn'L have Lhe same
hybrld/crossover eecL.

G"N K(50 M()# *2 H.8(0)&+)
1hls can be a hlsLory-maklng elecuon. lL would be Lhe rsL ume
sLaLewlde LhaL an auorney currenLly employed aL Legal Ald would
be elecLed Lo Lhe posluon. 1here are former Legal Ald auorneys
on Lhe bench, however, Lhey obLalned Lhe posluon whlle worklng
ln a dlerenL capaclLy aer Lhelr legal ald servlce. lL would also
provlde some professlonal dlverslLy Lo Lhe bench because many of
our currenL [udges are former prosecuLors. ln addluon lL wlll be
Lhe rsL ume LhaL Lhere are Lhree Afrlcan-Amerlcan women on
Lhe bench and lL would make Lhe courL ma[orlLy women.

l'm noL afrald Lo admlL whaL l don'L know, and l commlL Lo
worklng hard Lo learn Lhe new cra. l lnLend Lo consulL wlLh more
experlenced colleagues on Lhe bench when needed Lo beneL
from Lhelr lnpuL.

! #$%&' ()*+, - './$+01)-1.' 2$//*1/.+1 1$ -22.00 1$ 3%042. -+'
5-*)+.00 1$ 16. 2$%)1)$$/7 1he courLs also need Lhe balance LhaL
can come wlLh havlng Lhe rlghL LemperamenL and empaLhy
necessary for Lhe posluon.

l belleve ln [usuce Lhrough servlce Lo Lhe communlLy. Wlnnlng ln
november requlres lncreased awareness of Lhe posluon,
knowledge of Lhe person seeklng Lhe seaL, undersLandlng why lL ls
lmporLanL Lo voLe, and LhaL l am Lhe hands-down" cholce!

Spread Lhe word Lo elecL valene lranco for ulsLrlcL CourL !udge.

M&'#+#


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A survey of North Carolina
Bar Association members
released during the primary
campaign, shows that Franco
is the hands-down choice
among her colleagues. She
garnered the most votes in all
of the surveys categories.

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