Darren Jackson, candidate for NC Court of Appeals seat 11
Name: Darren Jackson
Political party: Democrat
Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 52
Campaign website: judgedarrenjackson.com
Occupation: Judge on NC Court of Appeals
Education: B.A in Political Science from UNC-CH and J.D. from Duke University School of Law
Have you run for elected office before? North Carolina General Assembly. Served for 12 years.
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Throughout my career, I have served on a number of civic boards and committees, including as a mentor in the Communities in Schools program at East Wake Middle School, longtime member and former vice president of the East Wake Education Foundation in Wendell, as a board member on the Wake County Community Foundation, a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Visitors, and have coached over 30 youth sports teams in the local area.
What reforms, if any, do you think could make the criminal justice system more fair?
More resources from the state of North Carolina at all levels and at every step of our legal system. That alone would not solve the problem, but it would be a big step forward.
Are the state’s courts accessible enough to average North Carolinians? If not, what are some improvements you will advocate for, if elected?
No, but improvements have been made as funding has allowed. COVID forced court hearings online and now that the technology has caught up, even though we are back to in person oral arguments, the public can still watch from home. I will continue to advocate for more transparency so that citizens can better understand what we do and why we do it.
Tell us about a specific event in your legal career of which you are most proud.
A workplace injury in which a worker and his family were basically forced to assume the burden of his care. Over the course of our representation of the family, we were able to win the care, medical treatment, and compensation that had been denied for so long.
