Gale Adams, a North Carolina native, said her diverse legal background makes her a good candidate for judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Gale Adams is a Democrat who currently serves as the judge for Judicial District 12B of the North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division.
Adams said her experience serving as a resident superior court judge for Cumberland County, an assistant district attorney, assistant federal public defender and Navy judicial advocate general has helped her to understand the judicial system from the ground up and be a better advocate for those she represents.
“I served as an assistant district attorney, so I'm used to working with police,” Adams said. “I'm used to working with victims, prosecuting crimes, I’m used to protecting the rights of victims and defendants as a prosecutor. That's important when you're on the bench to understand what's going on at the ground level. And then I worked for over 20 years as an assistant federal public defender, so I know what it's like on the other side of the table.”
Adams said having a balanced perspective helps her to see things from all sides as a judge.
“Anybody would want someone on the bench who's going to be that person who's going to listen and not decide cases based upon some preconceived idea about what the outcome should be,” Adams said.
Adams said as a judge, one of the most important things to her is judicial temperament, and she said people should feel like they are listened to in the courtroom, no matter what the decision is.
“I just want to make sure that the right thing is done,” Adams said. “I'm also very adamant and strict about how people are treated inside of that courtroom. To me, judicial temperament is very important. And we have to remember the power that we have to affect people's lives.”