By Miles Layton

This is good news for Washington County and our region.

D. Cole Phelps has been appointed to serve as a District Court judge for Judicial District 2, which covers Beaufort, Hyde, Martin, Tyrrell, and Washington counties. He fills the vacancy created when the Honorable Regina Parker was appointed to the Superior Court. 

“Cole Phelps’ extensive legal experience in District Court and dedication to his community have prepared him for this role,” said Governor Josh Stein in a press release. “I look forward to his service on the bench.” 

Phelps will also be on the ballot in November as he runs to keep the seat for a full term.

More about Phelps will appear in the next edition of the Roanoke Beacon. 

Here’s a partial portion of my dossier on Phelps, pulled from the dusty file on my desk.

Phelps is the founder and managing partner of the Law Office of D. Cole Phelps, PLLC, and serves as legal counsel for the Town of Robersonville. He earned a Bachelor of Science from East Carolina University and a law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Phelps’ record of service includes two terms as a county commissioner. In 2012, the 29-year-old Washington County native became the youngest to hold office on the Board of County Commissioners at age 24. He was elected to a second term in 2016. 

And Phelps has taught family law and public policy at his alma mater, East Carolina University. 

Because I pay attention and talk to people near and far wherever I travel across our region, I knew Phelps was going places.  

In 2018, Phelps, a Democrat, ran for NC Senate District 1 against Bob Steinburg, a conservative Republican three-term legislator from Edenton. Though Phelps lost that race, God had other plans for him – a judgeship eight years later.  

Phelps will be the first District Court judge from Washington County in a long, long time. To illustrate that point: his predecessor, Regina Parker, who was appointed to the Superior Court for Judicial District 2 in May, served 25 years on the District Court bench. She’s from Williamston, appointed back in 2001 by then-Governor Jim Hunt, RIP.

During a recent candidate forum in Plymouth, Phelps talked to prospective voters about why he is running for judge.   

Having served on the front lines in the courtroom for the past 13 years, he shared his frustration with how the courts often leave ordinary people behind.

“District court is where real life happens,” he said. “It’s the people’s court. It’s not just criminal law, it’s not just traffic tickets. It’s child support, it’s child custody, divorce, it’s civil disputes, it’s landlord-tenant issues, it’s alimony and so on.”

Phelps’ family was there when he was talking to prospective voters, so that speaks volumes about his character. 

Phelps said his years representing clients revealed a pattern of confusion among people leaving the courtroom. “The courtroom should never feel like an assembly line, where we’re just trying to move people through,” he said. “You get outside and you don’t know what just happened.”

That frustration, he said, is what pushed him to run. “I want to take all of my perspectives and everything that I’ve encountered in the positions that I’ve held in the past and slow things down — explain to people what’s happening and why it’s happening.”

Phelps, the first in his family to graduate from college, said he chose to return to Washington County rather than leave for good, as many young people from the region do.

“A lot of young people leave and go off and don’t come back,” he said. “I knew I wanted to come back. I knew that I wanted to build a business and set up shop here.”

Phelps closed by framing the race as bigger than himself. “At the end of the day, this election for this judicial race — it’s about more than a seat,” Phelps said. “It’s about what kind of justice and what type of courtroom we want for our community. I am ready to work.”

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