Aired on Dec 14, 2025

• Gerrymandering, Fair Housing, Business Law

American democracy is comprised of three branches Legislative (Congress), Executive (President), and Judicial (Courts) at the federal and state levels. The current political climate is proving how crucial it is to have experienced and ethically sound judges in our courts. Courts are experiencing a deluge of cases. Judges are in short supply. Judges with knowledge in a wide variety of legal areas are even more difficult to find, meanwhile the GOP-legislative majority’s withholding of the NC state budget is further hobbling the judicial process. James Whalen comes from a family of community servants. He has a varied background which will serve the people of NC well should he be elected to the Court of Appeals. Listen in and meet our guest:

James Whalen is an experienced appellate attorney in private practice at Brooks Pierce LLP. Earlier this year, he was part of the legal team that defended Justice Allison Riggs’s win and stopped a dangerous attempt to overturn a free and fair election. He previously served as an attorney in the NC Department of Justice, where he fought gerrymandering in the U.S. Supreme Court and held domestic abusers accountable. He has argued cases in the NC Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, and the US Court of Appeals. Prior to law school, he served as a fellow on President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign and managed winning political campaigns. James is a graduate of UNC Asheville and UNC School of Law. Originally from Charlotte, he and his wife now live in Raleigh with their son, dog, and cat.

“On The Porch” is hosted by Randolph ”Randy” Voller. He is also the publisher of Chatham County Line. Randy welcomes guests to the show who are from the communities of art, academia, business, and politics for friendly and informative conversations. “On The Porch” airs every Sunday at 11:06 AM, and is repeated at 5:06 PM and 8:06 PM on WCHL-FM 97.9. The show also streams on ChapelBoro.com
Current and previous shows of “On The Porch” are posted as on-demand, ad-free podcasts at ChapelBoro.com, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
To be a guest on the show or send us a comment, email: ontheporch@wchl.com