Habekah Cannon, a self-described prison abolitionist and former public defender, has won the Democratic primary for District Court judge in North Carolina’s 26th Judicial District, defeating incumbent Judge Cecilia Oseguera.
Cannon secured 52 percent of the vote, while Oseguera received 48 percent, according to results reported by the Charlotte Observer. More than 96,000 ballots were cast in the race.
With no Republican candidate filing for the seat, Cannon is expected to run unopposed in the November general election.
Cannon, 33, previously worked as a public defender and later operated her own law firm. Her campaign website has described her as “an abolitionist,” reflecting views aligned with movements advocating major changes to the criminal justice system.
Her candidacy has drawn attention because of past activism, including arrests during protests following the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
The charges related to those arrests were later dismissed. Cannon also previously said she was asked to resign from her role as a public defender because she did not maintain sufficient separation between her legal work and activism.
In interviews, Cannon has said she would remain impartial if elected to the bench. “My role as an attorney is an advocate,” she said. “When I become judge, when I put on that robe and take that bench, I have to be impartial.”
Oseguera, however, argued that advocacy should not influence judicial roles, saying she does not believe activism “has any part in the judiciary.”
