AN ACT to provide balance among the counties in the residency of district court judges in district court district 13 and to divide superior court district 13.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 7A‑133 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(b2)	The qualified voters of District Court District 13 shall elect all six judges established for the District in subsection (a) of this section, but only persons who reside in Bladen County may be candidates for one of those judgeships, only persons who reside in Columbus County may be candidates for one of those judgeships, and only persons who reside in Brunswick County may be candidates for two of those judgeships. The district court judgeship established for residents of Bladen County by this subsection shall be the judgeship currently held by Judge Phillips, who resides in Bladen County. The district court judgeship established for residents of Columbus County by this subsection shall be the judgeship currently held by Judge Jolly, who resides in Columbus County. The district court judgeships established for residents of Brunswick County by this subsection shall be the judgeships currently held by Judge Barefoot and Judge Warren, who reside in Brunswick County. Those judges' successors shall be elected for four‑year terms in the 2008 general election. Candidates for the remaining judgeships in District 13 may be residents of any county within the district."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 7A‑41(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	The counties of the State are organized into judicial divisions and superior court districts, and each superior court district has the counties, and the number of regular resident superior court judges set forth in the following table, and for districts of less than a whole county, as set out in subsection (b) of this section:
		Superior
Judicial	Court							No. of Resident
Division	District		Counties				Judges
______________________________________________________________________
First		1			Camden, Chowan,			2
Currituck, Dare, Gates,
Pasquotank, Perquimans
First		2			Beaufort, Hyde,			1
Martin, Tyrrell, Washington
First		3A			Pitt					2
Second	3B			Carteret, Craven,			3
Pamlico
Second	4A			Duplin, Jones,			1
Sampson
Second	4B			Onslow				1
Second	5A			(part of New Hanover,		1
part of Pender see subsection (b))
5B			(part of New Hanover,		1
part of Pender see subsection (b))
5C			(part of New Hanover,		1
see subsection (b))
First		6A			Halifax 				1
First		6B			Bertie, Hertford,			1
Northampton
First		7A			Nash					1
First		7B			(part of Wilson,			1
part of Edgecombe,
see subsection (b))
First		7C			(part of Wilson,			1
part of Edgecombe, see
subsection (b))
Second	8A			Lenoir and Greene			1
Second	8B			Wayne				1
Third		9			Franklin, Granville,			2
Vance, Warren
Third		9A			Person, Caswell			1
Third		10A			(part of Wake,			2
see subsection (b))
Third		10B			(part of Wake,			2
see subsection (b))
Third		10C			(part of Wake,			1
see subsection (b))
Third		10D			(part of Wake,			1
see subsection (b))
Fourth 	11A			Harnett, Lee				1
Fourth 	11B			Johnston				1
Fourth		12A			(part of Cumberland,		1
see subsection (b))
Fourth 	12B			(part of Cumberland,		1
see subsection (b))
Fourth 	12C			(part of Cumberland,		2
see subsection (b))
Fourth 	 13A		Bladen,			 1
Columbus
Fourth		13B			Brunswick				1
Third		14A			(part of Durham,			1
see subsection (b))
Third		14B			(part of Durham,			3
see subsection (b))
Third		15A			Alamance				2
Third		15B			Orange, Chatham			2
Fourth 	16A			Scotland, Hoke			1
Fourth		16B			Robeson				2
Fifth		17A			Rockingham				2
Fifth		17B			Stokes, Surry 			2
Fifth		18A			(part of Guilford,			1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 		18B			(part of Guilford,			1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 		18C			(part of Guilford,			1
see subsection (b))
Fifth		18D			(part of Guilford, 			1
see subsection (b))
Fifth		18E			(part of Guilford,			1
see subsection (b))
Sixth		19A			Cabarrus 				1
Fifth		19B			Montgomery, Randolph		1
Sixth		19C			Rowan 				1
Fifth		19D			Moore 				1
Sixth		20A			Anson, Richmond,			2
Stanly
Sixth		20B			Union					1
Fifth		21A			(part of Forsyth,			1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 		21B			(part of Forsyth,			1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 		21C			(part of Forsyth,			1
see subsection (b))
Fifth 		21D			(part of Forsyth,			1
see subsection (b))
Sixth 		22			Alexander, Davidson,		3
Davie, Iredell
Fifth 		23			Alleghany, Ashe,			1
Wilkes, Yadkin
Eighth 	24			Avery, Madison,			2
Mitchell, Watauga, Yancey
Seventh	25A			Burke, Caldwell			2
Seventh	25B			Catawba				2
Seventh	26A			(part of Mecklenburg,		2
see subsection (b))
Seventh	26B			(part of Mecklenburg,		3
see subsection (b))
Seventh	26C			(part of Mecklenburg,		2
see subsection (b))
Seventh	27A			Gaston				2
Seventh	27B			Cleveland, Lincoln			2
Eighth 	28			Buncombe				2
Eighth		29A			McDowell, Rutherford		1
Eighth 	29B			Henderson, Polk, Transylvania	1
Eighth 	30A			Cherokee, Clay,			1
Graham, Macon, Swain
Eighth 	30B			Haywood, Jackson			1."
SECTION 3.  The superior court judgeship established for District 13A by Section 2 of this act shall be filled by the judge currently serving District 13 who resides in Bladen or Columbus County, who shall serve until the expiration of that judge's current term.
SECTION 4.  The superior court judgeship established for District 13B by Section 2 of this act shall be filled by the judge currently serving District 13 who resides in Brunswick County, who shall serve until the expiration of that judge's current term.

SECTION 5.  Section 5 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2006.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2006, or the date upon which Section 1 of this act is approved under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, whichever is later.  Sections 2, 3, and 4 of this act become effective October 1, 2006, or the date upon which Section 2 of this act is approved under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, whichever is later.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 30th day of June, 2006.

	s/	 Charlie S. Dannelly
		 Deputy President Pro Tempore of the Senate

	s/	 James B. Black
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

This bill having been presented to the Governor for his signature on the 30th day of June, 2006 and the Governor having failed to approve it within the time prescribed by law, the same is hereby declared to have become a law.
This 11th day of July 2006

	s/	 Anthony M. Donaldson, Jr.
	 Enrolling Clerk