Michael C. Byrne
Party:
Republican
Incumbent:
No
Age:
58
Previous experience in elected office:
None
Occupation:
Administrative Law Judge
Description:
Byrne describes himself as conservative, and his campaign focuses on judicial restraint, fairness, due process and constitutional interpretation. Byrne has emphasized his record as an administrative law judge, dealing with cases involving state agencies. He notes that he has been upheld by the Court of Appeals "in complex cases like Certificate of Need and public employment." He has also highlighted his support from law enforcement organizations, including the National Association of Police Organizations, the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police and the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association. Byrne has said that fairness and due process are central to his judicial philosophy.
Review of Candidate Rulings (Source: Wake Forest University School of Law Pro Bono Project)
Byrne has served as an attorney and administrative law judge in North Carolina, narrowing his practice to representing law enforcement and public employees before the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), Superior Court, Court of Appeals, and the North Carolina Supreme Court. He has appeared in over 270 cases before the OAH, handled more than 20 appeals to the Court of Appeals as an attorney and was sworn in as an administrative law judge in June 2020, where he has issued over 400 decisions.
Other personal:
Byrne grew up in Wake County and lives in Cary. He has spent much of his legal career practicing in administrative and appellate law and has worked extensively on cases involving law enforcement and public employees. He is married and has one child. He earned a bachelor’s in English from NC State and a JD from Campbell University, where he served as editor of the Campbell Law Observer.