Josephine Kerr Davis
Democratic · NC · Judge, North Carolina Superior Court (Durham County)
Josephine Kerr Davis has been a Durham County superior court judge since 2019. She earlier worked as a public defender, prosecutor, assistant attorney general and appeals hearing officer, and helped advise a program that clears old criminal records.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 1 record
Received the People’s Alliance PAC endorsement for Durham County Superior Court judge.
September 23, 2018
Source: peoplesalliancepac.org
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 3 favorable · 3 unfavorable
Denied a motion to suppress drug evidence in State v. Boyd. The Court of Appeals affirmed, finding the search warrant supported by probable cause.
March 6, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: nccourts.gov
Dismissed a legal-malpractice complaint as time-barred in Davis v. Hayes-Hofler. The Court of Appeals later reversed because the complaint did not establish the time bar.
September 1, 2022Unfavorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Denied a motion to vacate a robbery conviction after fingerprint evidence was destroyed in State v. Brown. The Court of Appeals affirmed the denial.
June 28, 2022Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: nccourts.gov
Suppressed evidence from a Vance County drug search in State v. Johnson. The Court of Appeals later reversed, finding the entry, protective sweep, and search warrant lawful.
November 9, 2021Unfavorable on Legal Competence
Source: nccourts.gov
Granted petitions to expunge more than 1,700 charges against people prosecuted as adults when they were teenagers, benefiting nearly 300 people.
April 20, 2021Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: spectacularmag.com
Denied a motion to dismiss a first-degree kidnapping charge in State v. Elder. The North Carolina Supreme Court later held the charge conflicted with the indictment’s alleged sequence and reversed that conviction.
April 3, 2019Unfavorable on Legal Competence
Source: nccourts.gov
Past race Josephine Kerr Davis ran in:
- NC Superior Court Judge District 16B Seat 03 · November 3, 2026 · Durham County, North Carolina · incumbent