Judge wins re-election despite scrutiny over handling of cases

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A Mecklenburg County District Court Judge won re-election Tuesday night, despite weeks of scrutiny over her handling of cases.

District Court Judge Aretha Blake beat challenger Lynna Moen in the Democratic primary for Blake’s seat in Mecklenburg County District Court.

There is not a Republican challenger running in November.

A WBTV investigation found Blake failed to enter orders in dozens of family court cases since she first took the bench in January 2017.

As a result, our investigation found, families were left waiting months or years without a decision in cases including child custody, child support and alimony.

Blake has said WBTV’s reporting is false.

The Charlotte Observer endorsed Moen, Blake’s opponent, in an editorial Sunday.

The paper’s endorsement came after The Observer published stories about Blake’s efforts to push back against WBTV’s investigation, including asking a judge to enter an order stopping the station from publishing a story last week. That request was denied.