NC court interpreter walkout begins Friday. Could court proceedings be affected?

Court proceedings across North Carolina could be disrupted beginning Friday as certified court interpreters plan a statewide work stoppage.

2026-07-30

The action comes after additional funding to increase contract pay was left out of the new state budget, according to the North Carolina Interpreter Advocacy Committee. The group announced Wednesday that interpreters will stop showing up Friday and begin a series of escalating boycotts in the coming weeks.

The actions are a protest against years of stagnant pay for contract interpreters from the state government that the group says have made it harder to recruit and retain qualified interpreters.

The stoppage didn't immediately hit the state's largest county, Wake County, which has two busy courthouses in downtown Raleigh. That's in part because Wake County employs interpreters rather than relying on contractors like many other counties do, explained District Attorney Lorrin Freeman on Friday. She said timing also helped: Her office had no big superior court trials going on that needed interpreters.

Freeman added that if the protests ramp up in coming weeks like organizers have vowed, it could lead to more of a problem.

"If that is followed through with, it will make things more challenging," she said. "We do have other resources available to us that include a phone line, and then a WebEx service that operates out of the [state court system]. And so, I assume we will rely on those, which will just be cumbersome."

Certified court interpreters help people with limited English proficiency communicate with judges, attorneys and court staff during criminal and civil proceedings. Without them, some hearings could be delayed or postponed.

"If there's a language barrier and court interpreters are not present, that means the individual in court does not have the ability to communicate nor understand what's happening," said Jason Keith, a Greensboro criminal defense attorney and owner of Next Gen Law Group.

The work stoppage follows an update from the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts' Office of Language Access Services. According to the Interpreter Advocacy Committee, the office told interpreters increasing contract rates would require additional funding "that is not available," while acknowledging that "competitive contract rates are essential to recruiting and retaining highly qualified court interpreters." It said it will continue seeking additional funding from the General Assembly.

But while Freeman said the phone and video-call interpreter services can be cumbersome and less than ideal, a spokesperson for the state judicial branch defended the offerings, saying they're preferred in some instances over in-person translation.

State court system spokesman Graham Wilson added that while the state can't pay the interpreters more without funding from the legislature, which lawmakers chose not to provide in the new state budget, the courts have plans in place to dampen the impact of the planned work stoppages and protests by the interpreters.

"The Judicial Branch has scheduling policies and plans in place to ensure language access needs are met across the court system," he told WRAL. "The branch will continue to provide language access services via full-time staff interpreters and the contract interpreters who have indicated that they will continue to accept assignments."

Why interpreters are walking off

Most certified Spanish court interpreters in North Carolina are independent contractors who pay for their own health insurance and some business expenses. The state reimburses them for mileage and some travel expenses, Wilson said, including paying them half their hourly rate while driving, for longer commutes.

According to the advocacy committee, Level A2 certified interpreters earn $45 an hour, while Level A1 master-certified interpreters earn $55 an hour. Those rates last increased in 2022, when the state approved a $5-an-hour increase.

Sarah Arredondo, a certified court interpreter for nearly 20 years, told WRAL Thursday interpreters requested about $951,000 in recurring funding through the Judicial Branch budget process to increase contract rates.

Gov. Josh Stein also proposed $1.79 million in recurring funding for interpreter compensation in his recommended budget. Neither proposal was included in the final budget approved by the General Assembly.

Legislative leaders didn’t respond to WRAL's requests for comment Thursday afternoon.

"Costs continue to rise, and our compensation is staying the same," she said.

What the work stoppage could mean

Keith said hearings involving people with limited English proficiency could face delays if certified interpreters are unavailable.

"The judge cannot understand what the defendant is saying, and the defendant cannot understand what the judge is saying," Keith said. "You really can't even address the case because the person has to understand the proceedings."

Arredondo said she was scheduled to interpret domestic violence protective order hearings Friday before joining the work stoppage.

"If they can't get their case heard before a judge, they may not benefit from the protections of the court," she said. “It’s really unfortunate and scary, but I have to stand up for myself.”

Keith said certified interpreters cannot simply be replaced.

"You can't just pull somebody out of the audience that speaks the language," he said. "You have to have a person that's received the certification and training."

He said he expects courthouses to remain open, with judges continuing affected cases or using remote interpretation when possible.

What's next

Unless an agreement is reached, the advocacy committee plans the following actions:

• July 31: Statewide work stoppage.
• Aug. 3: Boycott of Superior Court trial assignments.
• Aug. 15: Boycott of assignments in districts with staff interpreters, including Wake, Mecklenburg, Durham, Guilford, Forsyth, Buncombe, Union, Orange, Chatham and Alamance counties.
• Aug. 31: Statewide work stoppage.
• Sept. 1: Statewide boycott of Superior Court trial assignments.

The committee said it plans to continue discussions with the Administrative Office of the Courts and state lawmakers while the scheduled work stoppages move forward.

WRAL state government reporter Will Doran contributed reporting.