Court of Appeals judges Ann Marie Calabria and Barbara Jackson want voters to know they seek to adhere to the state Constitution and the law when they make their rulings - even laws they might personally disagree with.

Jackson is running against fellow Appeals Court Judge Bob Hunter for the state Supreme Court seat Fayetteville resident Ed Brady will soon vacate.

Calabria is running for re-election against Wake County District Court Judge Jane Gray.

Calabria and Jackson visited The Fayetteville Observer office Wednesday to discuss their campaigns.

Calabria has a bit of name-recognition advantage in the Fayetteville area. She used to practice family law - divorce and related matters - in Fayetteville with Terry Hutchens. Her husband, Robert, has dental practices in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake and St. Pauls.

Calabria noted some cases for which she drafted opinions, including a 2007 opinion that said poker is a game of skill and chance, but that the chance outweighs the skill, so poker is an illegal gambling game under North Carolina law.

Calabria wrote an opinion in 2008 that said the General Assembly disobeyed the state Constitution's rules on lawmaking when the legislators approved the state lottery in 2005. She was on the losing side of a 2-1 vote of a three-judge panel in that case.

"I've never bought a lottery ticket because of that, because I just feel I shouldn't do that," Calabria said.

"The lottery's not against the law," Calabria said. "It's just the way they passed it."

The state Supreme Court in a 3-3 decision later upheld the lottery.