NC OAH judge Michael Byrne to seek NC Court of Appeals seat
Wake County attorney Michael C. Byrne — an administrative law judge with the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) — has announced his decision to seek the GOP nomination for the NC Court of Appeals seat currently held by Democrat John Arrowood. Arrowood’s seat will be before the voters in 2026.
Byrne says his judicial philosophy is best summarized by the one-sentence directive the Chief Judge at OAH gave him when he first started there: “Get it right.”
He says he believes passionately in due process, fairness, even-handedness in dealing with both sides in a case, and decisions strictly based on the law, without fear or favor.
Administrative Law Judge Michael C. Byrne grew up in Wake County. He earned his B.A. with university and departmental honors from North Carolina State University. Byrne earned his law degree from Campbell University, where he served as editor of the Campbell Law Observer.
Byrne and his wife have one son and currently live in Cary.
After several years of trial and appellate practice in North Carolina’s state and federal courts, Byrne re-focused his law practice more toward representation of law enforcement and other public employees before the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), Superior Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.
Between 2005 and 2020, Michael appeared in over 270 cases before the OAH as a referral attorney for the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
As an attorney, Byrne has argued more than 20 cases before the Court of Appeals. Many of those involved representing law enforcement and correctional officers who were wrongfully fired or otherwise disciplined.
Cases he won on behalf of NC law enforcement are now regularly cited as precedents by the Office of Administrative Hearings and the state Court of Appeals. Byrne also submitted amicus (friend of the court) briefs in state Court of Appeals and state Supreme Court cases on behalf of public employee and law enforcement groups.
In June 2020, Byrne was sworn in as Administrative Law Judge, where in just over five years he has issued almost 400 opinions.
Eight of Byrne’s decisions were later appealed to the Court of Appeals. All were unanimously upheld by the Court of Appeals — most recently in July 2025.
