Editorial
At a recent event in Raleigh, attorney Kimberly Moore, who spent more than 20 years working as an assistant district attorney and US attorney, expressed shock at the way State Representative Sarah Stevens treated sexual abuse survivor Katie Trout during a legislative hearing. The prosecutor, who has spent years in front of judges, described the incident as “appalling” and “astonishing,” emphasizing that such behavior is unacceptable in the justice system.
Moore was reacting to video from a legislative hearing where Trout testified in favor of rules to protect children from sexual abuse at church. During Trout’s testimony, Stevens can be seen leaving the hearing table, talking to others in the room, and shuffling through her papers. At the event in Raleigh, Trout noted that she only had sixty seconds to tell legislators her story of sexual abuse, and Stevens could not listen for that one minute.
Stevens is running against Justice Anita Earls in 2026’s North Carolina Supreme Court election.
“When I first saw it, it took me back,” former prosecutor Moore said. “I was appalled because I’ve been in front of judges for a long time, and even if a judge may have his or her mind made up, I have never seen one just be dismissive to what someone had to say. I was appalled. It really took my breath away when I saw it.”
Moore noted that Trout had endured abuse as a child at the hands of a trusted individual. The prosecutor stressed that the survivor “didn’t rape anybody” or “commit an armed robbery,” but rather was a victim seeking to be heard.
“In this climate, it’s just about having empathy for someone going through what they went through, someone who wants to be heard and they have a right to be heard,” Moore added.
The prosecutor urged that such conduct is “completely unacceptable,” especially from someone seeking or holding judicial office.
