My Story
My name is Jennifer (Jenny) Wells, and I am a District Court Judge in the First Judicial District of North Carolina. I was appointed by Governor Josh Stein on March 18, 2025, and have served on the District Court Bench since the beginning of April. I am writing this letter asking for your support in the November 2026 Election.
I am a native of Northeastern North Carolina and have spent my whole career serving this district. I am a proud product of Dare County Public Schools, and after graduating from Manteo High School in 2002, attended Tulane University, where I graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in 2006. After a few years of working in the mental health field, I enrolled at Campbell University School of Law. I graduated in 2012 and passed the Bar Exam in the Summer of 2012.
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When it was time to start my legal career, there was only one choice for me—to return to Northeastern North Carolina and continue to serve my community. I started working as a Public Defender, where I vigorously represented thousands of clients over my 11-year tenure in everything from Second Degree Trespass to First Degree Murder. I firmly believed—and still do—that everyone, regardless of age, race, economic status, gender identity, or citizenship, deserves to be treated equally by the criminal justice system. The only way to ensure fair treatment is quality legal representation, whether the person can afford it or not.
When Judge Edgar Barnes retired, I was encouraged to submit my name for consideration to replace him. At a meeting of all the attorneys in the First Judicial District (comprised of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans Counties), I was the top vote-getter to fill the vacant Judge position. After a long vetting process, I was thrilled to be appointed to the position by Governor Josh Stein.
My judicial philosophy is simple; everyone who comes into court deserves to be heard, to be treated fairly and with respect, and to be judged on the merits of their case and the law and nothing else. I bring eleven years and thousands of courtroom hours of experience into every case I see on the bench. I am fair, open-minded, and patient, traits that I believe are key to any good judge.