Legal Question in Constitutional Law in North Carolina

Re: courts

Federal and state courts are different systems that work in parallel, so it is hard to talk about one outranking the other. In the narrow context of habeas corpus cases a federal district court can review the decision of a state supreme court, but otherwise their jurisdictions will not overlap.

Fwiw, most lawyers and judges would consider a position on a state supreme court more prestigious than a seat on a U.S. district court. This may not be true in all states -- especially the smaller ones -- but it is true in most.