Democrat Judge Darrell Cayton Supports a Republican For Judge | Eastern NC Now

    I was scrolling though the news Tuesday after supper and stumbled across a video of a NC Sheriff answering questions regarding his ability to run his Office. The Sheriff could not name the three branches of government. The man asking the questions look stunned so he named the three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The Sheriff then stated he worked for the judicial branch. That was enough internet for me in one day. I could feel my brain shrinking.

    Then, I woke up the next day and heard Democrat Judge Darrell Cayton posted a message supporting the Republican candidate for Judge, Lloyd Williams. I checked to see if one of my friends was preparing an article for the Babylon Bee before I read it. Surely, it can't be true. It is. Democrats teaming up to support a Republican. Milk with citrus, fish tacos and milk, toddlers and crayons: the world does not make sense any more.

    After I collected myself, I read the post. Judge Cayton spends the first quarter trying to convince the reader he is an honest man. Hold on to your wallet. I have interviewed thousands of people in my career. This focus on his credibility tells me he is going to tell a story that contains some truth, but not all the truth, and he does not want the facts checked. He could have just stated he has been a judge for 16 years. Enough said.

    He then moves to a rambling statement of why he can do this and not suffer the wrath of an ethics review. He knows his statements will generate many calls to Raleigh. Judges rarely, if ever, get involved in politics other than the race that impacts them. Sometimes it is best to remain silent.

    Here it comes. A leader in the Democrat Party, a Democrat Judge for 16 years supports Lloyd Williams, a Republican, for Judge in the Republican primary. Jason Williams, a Democrat and former Judge, supports Lloyd. Tanya Leggett, retired Democrat Clerk of Court in Martin county, supports Lloyd. Cayton is a sitting Judge. Why do this? This is a simple ploy by the Democrats to support the weakest Republican candidate in the primary so the Democrats can win in the general election.


Trusted Prosecutor Shannon Jarvis
    He refers to Shannon Jarvis, Republican candidate for Judge running against Lloyd, as a bully. Really? So, if a woman expresses herself and a Judge gets intimated, she is a bully? Perhaps Judge Cayton should check on his level of self-esteem. Has he called her a bully in open court? If not, why not? Cayton continues his personal attack by calling her abrasive in court. It seems he does not like his authority challenged by a woman.


    Then he relates an example of Shannon's abrasive, bullying behavior. She refused to continue a case so a member of our armed services could continue his career. Cayton makes you think he was the judge. He was not. He was not there. Who could have told him? Perhaps the defense attorney representing the young man who has financial ties to Cayton.

    The man was not in the military. He was thinking about joining. Big difference. My brother, Lt. Colonel William Meredith, would say any pending charge has the potential to end the selection process. A case that has been adjudicated is much easier to handle. That young man created the situation he found himself in and he should be responsible for his own actions. It would not surprise me upon closer examination of this situation that Shannon followed policy set by DA Tom Anglim and historical precedents established by the local judges.

    So, as my Dad would say, Cayton lied by omission. Does not surprise me based on his introduction. With the full story, Shannon seems to have been doing her job.

    He continued with another example or two demonstrating Shannon's unprofessional behavior as an ADA while describing her as disrespectful, discourteous, and the previously mentioned bully. He implies Tom Anglim and the Chief Assistant District Attorney agree with him and are taking corrective action to soften her a bit. This last-minute attack precludes any investigation into those supposed statements.

    This is for Judge Cayton in honor of his 16 years on the bench: falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus. A loose translation of this for the common man is if a person will lie to you about one thing, he will/may lie about everything. Let that sink in.

    How does such an experienced judge make such a blunder? How does he expect Shannon and Lloyd to appear before him and receive fair, impartial treatment?

    This will make scheduling cases exponentially difficult in the district. Defense attorneys will line up at Lloyd's door to plead their cases in front of Cayton. Did he consider that issue? Did Cayton consider that just because you can do something, does not mean you should?


    While writing this, I see a number of people commenting against his unprofessional behavior. It looks like complaints will be filed. Some say he is a misogynistic little man. I can't say.

    What I will say is he forced a well-respected, female local real estate agent to endure a full body search, not just a pat down, in the jail for a policy violation in his court. Did he enjoy forcing her to submit to his will and face this indignity? Let the reader decide. Has he forced other women in this community to face the same indignity just by being in his court room and upsetting him? Maybe there should be an investigation by the judicial ethics board.

    Lloyd is an easy man to get along with in and out of court. I do not question that fact. Defense attorneys love him. They get what they want in court. Is that justice? I think not. As in most things in life, follow the money. Lloyd has raised thirty some thousand dollars in his bid to be a judge. Approximately 90% of that money comes from attorneys, mainly defense attorneys. On the other hand, about 3% of Shannon's money comes from the same source. The people of this district have given her their hard earned money. Criminals should be held accountable for their crimes. Shannon does her job as an ADA, and defense attorneys do not like it. As a judge, Shannon will hold the DA's Office and the defense attorneys to a high standard as she makes fair and impartial decisions.

    This is just a fancy way of saying she can't be bought.

    Do not let the misogynistic name calling by elected Democrats stop you from voting for a strong, fair person to be our next judge in district 2.

Vote for Shannon Jarvis in the primary.