Charlotte lawyer Karen Eady-Williams is one of three finalists to replace Bill Belk as a Mecklenburg District Court judge.

In a vote among county lawyers, Eady-Williams, a former federal prosecutor, came in third with 1,255 votes. Of the 15 people who applied to fill the seat, she was one of six African Americans.

The top vote-getters were former Mecklenburg Chief District Judge Fritz Mercer (3,078) and former Judge Ben Thalheimer (1,843). Both men were ousted in last November’s election.

Gov. Beverly Perdue must now select one of the three finalists to fill the seat left vacant when Belk resigned Nov. 6 while facing accusations of misconduct.

Thalheimer is the judge Belk defeated to win the 26th Judicial District seat. He had ruled against Belk in a bitter divorce case, awarding Belk’s ex-wife 52 percent of the couple’s $4.9 million in divisible assets, including $1.6 million in cash.

Shortly after Belk was sworn in, he was accused of violating the Code of Judicial Conduct by continuing to serve on the board of directors of Sonic Automotive, a Fortune-500 company based in Charlotte. He is also accused of berating Mecklenburg Chief District Judge Lisa Bell.

A week after his resignation, the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission recommended that Belk be officially removed and banned from ever again holding a judgeship in North Carolina. The N.C. Supreme Court has yet to rule on the request.

Eady-Williams has practiced civil and criminal law for more than 17 years. She worked as an assistant public defender in Mecklenburg County and as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. She also worked as an in-house attorney for Wachovia.

Originally from Chesapeake, Va., she graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of William and Mary.

Efforts to reach her were not immediately successful.

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