A Letter From Cheryl

Let me tell you more about myself, my upbringing, my experience, and my goals. Since graduating from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2006, I have practiced law in Forsyth County for the last 20 years. 

In October of 2025, one of our local judges retired and our county needed a qualified person to fill his judicial seat. My colleagues in the legal system voted to send my name to the Governor's office for consideration for the position. After vetting and several rounds of interviews, on December 5, 2025, Governor Josh Stein appointed me to serve Forsyth County as your District Court Judge.

Background and Experiences 

I was born in Durham, North Carolina. I was the third born child to my parents. Tragically, my parents first child, Gerald, drowned when he was just 2 years old. My parents leaned on their faith and relationship with God to grieve and grow together through that experience. I have one older brother, Brian, who lives in Raleigh with his wife and my two beautiful nieces. Shortly after I was born in Durham, my family moved to Florida, where my parents had both grown up and all of our extended family lived. My paternal grandfather was a minister and so faith and the church played a large role in my family upbringing. 

My family was rich in faith and love, but we struggled financially. I can remember, as a child, standing in local food bank lines with my mother, grateful we would have food on our table.  My family also received assistance from our church and family members. Being on the receiving end of such extraordinary kindness taught me the importance of taking care of our community.  I learned that no matter our status or appearance, we are all human beings who deserve a hand up from our neighbors in the difficult times. I learned it is our human imperative to serve and care for others.

Even before law school, my life experiences and my family’s struggles, prepared me to be an advocate, shaping my understanding of fear, courage, and the need to have someone in your corner. They gave me empathy to advise and advocate for victims of crime and injustice, and also the perspective to listen to every voice that comes before the court. I have been able to use my experiences as tools to help speak for and strengthen others. 

As the first in my family to graduate from college, I learned early that hard work and determination can overcome any obstacle. My mother, Sylvia, was always very focused on my education. I worked my way through college at UNCG, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. With my focus on  education, I was able to attend Wake Forest University School of Law, where my passion for trial practice was ignited. I found a way to use the strength and understanding that I had gathered from my life to be the voice for others. 

After graduation, I began my legal career in public service with the Forsyth County Public Defender’s Office. I like to think of my time there as trial lawyer “boot camp” where I learned to manage heavy caseloads and make decisions under pressure. Those years strengthened my resilience and compassion and gave me a deep understanding of the challenges within our justice system. 

After 4 years with the public defender’s office, in 2010 I joined the Holton Law Firm and I practiced with Walter and Lynne Holton for 15 years. In private practice I expanded beyond criminal cases to civil litigation in state and federal courts throughout North Carolina and other states. I  handled business disputes, domestic cases, personal injury, wrongful death, estate disputes, federal qui tam actions and all variety of criminal cases. I have also handled appeals in North Carolina as well as the Fourth Circuit. I am very proud that my work in State v. Smith, 222 N.C. App. 253, 729 S.E.2d 120 (2012) helped shape the North Carolina law on warrantless searches. I am also proud that my trial work in State v. Corbett, 376 N.C. 799 (2021) helped provide a basis for a new trial as determined by Judge Zachary at the Court of Appeals and Justice Earls at the Supreme Court. 

Private practice also enabled me to have the freedom to do pro bono work for members of the community. I was able take on complicated expungement matters requiring motions and other legwork that the local expungement clinic could not assist. I aided families being taken advantage by unlawful rent-to-own home “contracts”. In 2016, I also worked with my firm to secure the release of Kalvin Michael Smith (“Michael”) after he spent 20 years in prison. This experience and the ultimate tragic fate of Michael, who passed away in 2023, has sparked in me a desire to work with Re-entry programs for released offenders. 

As my study and practice of law continued, I also continued to grow and learn through my life experiences. In 2017 I married a Winston-Salem police sergeant. I lived the reality of law enforcement life—the pressures, risks, and responsibilities. My relationships with officers and my work as defense counsel have given me credibility and balance. I believe in ethical law enforcement, fair prosecution, and principled defense—all essential to a justice system that works. 

In 2021, life continued its lessons. On October 22, 2021, I watched my husband, Sergeant Michael McDonald of the Winston-Salem Police Department, pass away from a covid infection he caught while serving our community. As many know, the experience of losing a spouse cannot be put into words. As too many law enforcement families know, losing your loved one in the line of duty is a fear and reality you live with, but cannot prepare for. However, I can be grateful for the support, honor and recognition shown to my family both by the federal government at police week ceremonies and on the memorial in Washington, DC and by the state of North Carolina with the presentation of the flag from Governor Cooper and a Resolution in Memoriam from the North Carolina Department of Justice signed by Josh Stein as Attorney General in 2023. 

As a result of my husband's death, I also experienced what it is like to appear in court as a plaintiff seeking a civil remedy and looking to the system for fairness, and impartiality. I know that to all appearing before the court, their case is the most important thing in their life at that moment. They each deserve to be heard, respected, and treated with dignity. 

Why a judge? 

The reason I became a lawyer; is the same reason I became a judge. It is because fundamentally and at its core, I believe in our justice and legal system. I believe that if every person in each and every position fulfills their role ethically and fully performs their duties, the system should reach the correct and just result. While the correct and just result does not mean that all parties to the case are pleased with the outcome, it should mean that all parties know that they had the tools and opportunity to have their case heard and that the law was applied impartially and correctly. This is how the system is meant to work, and I believe this is how it can work when each participant in the system fulfills their ethical obligation and legal duty. I have witnessed and participated in many proceedings where justice has been served through conscientious and deliberate effort. 

However, after 20 years in service, I am neither ignorant nor blind to the times when a part of the system fails, and justice does not prevail. I know that there are instances when the balance is off, an obligation to the system goes unmet and there is a failure in the system. I have witnessed the consequences of justice denied. Those situations not only deprive the direct parties of the benefit of our system, but they also erode the community’s belief in the opportunity for equal justice. 

I have always felt strongly that unless you are willing to take action to change the things you see that are not working, you forfeit the ability to criticize those processes. Some people choose to become involved from the top down to enact changes in policies and rulemaking. However, I have always found myself more suited to contribute on the battlefield. Because no matter how great our laws and procedures, if we do not have good people on the ground living and breathing those procedures, duties, and beliefs, then all our ideals are just words on paper. 

I have spent the last 20 years working in the legal system, providing ethical and earnest representation for all of my clients, and treating all parties appearing before me with fairness.  As part of being a judge, I am a voice in my community for equality, rehabilitation, and working with Re-Entry programs so that people being released from the justice system can hope to avoid tragic fates such as the one suffered by Kalvin Michael Smith. 

My experiences—professional and personal—have prepared me to serve with fairness, balance, and compassion. I will approach every case with integrity, treat every person with respect, and ensure that justice in our community is administered with both firmness and humanity. 

I appreciate you taking the time to learn about me. I look forward to the opportunity to meet and learn about you. 

To ensure compassionate, ethical, and the fair administration of justice, I ask you to support me and vote for me in the 2026 primary to allow me to continue serving our community. 

Best,

Cheryl Andrews McDonald