Elizabeth Thornton Trosch

Elizabeth Trosch served as a District Court Judge in Mecklenburg County from 2009 and was appointed Chief Judge for Judicial District 26 in February 2020. She was removed from the Chief Judge role in April 2024. Prior to her judgeship, she was an assistant public defender in Charlotte from 2002 to 2008. Trosch earned her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2002 and a B.A. in philosophy and social psychology from Hollins College in 1998. She is a state-certified juvenile judge and has been the lead judge for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. In October 2025, she announced her candidacy for the Superior Court seat currently held by her brother-in-law, Louis A. Trosch Jr., who is not seeking re-election.