John S. Arrowood

The Election Hub Questionnaire

Please provide demographic information about yourself to help voters (age, education, current occupation, where you live).

I am a Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, running for reelection. I lived the first 15 years of my life in rural Yancey County. When my parents died a couple months apart, I went to live with my brother ( a Highway Patrolman) and his family in Caldwell County where I finished high school. I graduated with a B.A. Magna Cum Laude from Catawba College and obtained my law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I currently live in Charlotte where I have lived since 1989 when I moved here to practice law. I am 69 years old.

Why are you running for this role and why should voters pick you? Please share your previous experience in elected office that would be relevant to voters.

I believe that my over 10 years as as a Court of Appeals Judge, coupled with my previous work as a law clerk, staff attorney and head of the Court’s Central Staff, my service as a Superior Court Judge and my over 25 years in private practice as a civil litigation attorney make me uniquely qualified for this role.

In addition i believe that a review of the hundreds of opinions, concurrences and dissents I have written show my commitment to the Equal Justice, the Rule of Law, to Judicial Independence and to protecting the Constitutional Rights of our Citizens.

Tell us 1-2 professional accomplishments you have achieved in your work experience (not limited to public service) that give voters a sense of your leadership style or skills.

I have a substantial history of public service. Most recently, I have completed my term as the Chair of the IOLTA Board appointed by the N.C. State Bar, that provided grants to organizations that provide pro bono civil legal services to for folks who can't afford to hire representations. I have also served on the North Carolina Banking Commission, the North Carolina Arts Council, the North Carolina Rules Review Commission, and as a Director of the North Carolina Rail Road. In Charlotte, I have served on the Board of Trustees of the Mint Museum of Art, the Urban Ministry Center ( now A Roof Above), the Charlotte Choir School and the Vestry of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of concern for many voters (e.g. government-run chatbots; AI-generated videos, text and images; data centers; license-plate readers; AI to hire and evaluate employees or teach students). How should elected officials in your role or others regulate AI, if you believe they should? How should elected officials in your role use AI?

As a judge I cannot comment on issues that may come before me. I will note however that we are seeing more filings that appear to be generated using AI and we have experienced some documents being filed that contain fictitious cases and cites. This causes the court systems work loads.

At the present time we do not use AI in my chambers.

What endorsements from any notable NC organizations or people have you received?

I have been endorsed the N.C. Sierra Club PAC, Equality NC Action Fund PAC, NC NOW PAC, NC AFL-CIO, Down Home North Carolina, Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, People AllianceNC PAC and the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

While I have not ask for formal endorsements from them, a review of my contribution report will show numerous contributions from former Judges and Justices with whomI have served from both political parties.

How long have you lived in the region/district where you are running for office?

I lived in NC my entire life.

Tell us something unexpected about yourself that voters may be interested to know.

I have run 2 marathons in my life, the Marine Corps in DC and the Chicago Marathon.

The questions below are in partnership with The Path to Permanency.

What is the extent of your professional and/or personal experience handling child welfare cases?

The North Carolina Court of Appeals hears all the abuse, neglect, and dependency cases as well as all termination of parental rights cases. You will find numerous cases I have written on these type cases.

ASFA (Adoption and Safe Families Act) sets timelines requiring that a case move to Terminate Parental Rights if a child has been in care 15 out of the last 22 months. When a parent has not yet completed services or demonstrated sustained change as that timeline approaches, what is the appropriate judicial response, and how do you weigh the child's need for timely stability against the parent's need for more time?

As an appellate judge, we review these cases to determine whether the trial court erred in its decisions on these cases. The issues usually relate to whether the trial court’s findings of fact are supported by evidence in the record and whether the findings support the court’s conclusion of law. The polar star of these cases is the best interest of the child.

What specific actions will you take on the bench to ensure cases move toward timely permanency?

We have a rule that an opinion in these type cases should be filed within 30 days of the case appearing on a calendar, I work diligently to see those cases assigned to me to draft the opinion comply with this time line.