D. Cole Phelps

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- District Court judges hear civil, criminal, and juvenile cases. Civil cases dealing with divorce, child custody, and child support are heard in District Court. 
- Under the District Court, the magistrate can try small claims cases ($10,000 or less), landlord eviction cases, and suits for recovery of personal property. A magistrate is an independent judicial officer, recognized by the North Carolina Constitution as an officer of the district court. 
- District Court Judges are elected for a four-year term. Elections are partisan. 

Judge who handles majority of trial level cases.

Criminal Justice

Property Rights

North Carolina

Legal Experience

Judicial Administration

Judicial Philosophy

Ethics & Conduct

Community Involvement

District Court Judge

Buket Urgen

D. Cole Phelps is from Washington County, North Carolina. He has a bachelor’s degree in family and community services from East Carolina University and a juris doctor degree from North Carolina Central Law School.

D. Cole is an attorney and the founder of The Law Office of D. Cole Phelps, PLLC in Plymouth. He also serves as an adjunct professor at East Carolina University, where he teaches courses in family law and public policy. 

D. Cole Phelps - Ballotpedia

D. Cole previously served as a member of the Washington County Board of Commissioners from 2012 to 2020. He ran for North Carolina State Senate District 1 in 2018 but did not win.

As the founder and counselor at law at The Law Office of D. Cole Phelps, PLLC, Phelps specializes in criminal law, small business start-ups, family law, traffic tickets, estate planning, and real estate.

As of January 5, 2026, D. Cole Phelps’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Founder of the D. Cole Phelps Scholarship Foundation, Inc.

Serves as a trustee for the North Carolina IOLTA Board from 2023 to 2026.

Serves as a member of the Indigent Defense Committee for the Second Judicial District.

Member of the Recovery Court Committee for the Second Judicial District.