Opinion
Shifting N.C. Supreme Court lineup could have impact on campus transparency
The U.S. Supreme Court's unwillingness to take up a public records case from North Carolina means a closely split state court decision stands.
News
Jackson picked for Court of Appeals; Searcy also resigns from General Assembly
The former House minority leader is set to join the state Court of Appeals. A Wake County state senator who considered a run for U.S. Congress also resigned from a seat he recently won. Rep. Darren Jackson becomes the second Wake County Democrat to announce he’s leaving the General Assembly as the 2021 session is...
News
Newby’s narrow win suggests broader philosophical changes in N.C. courts
It took five weeks to settle the final race, but when the N.C. Supreme Court’s session opens in a few weeks, there will be a new chief in Raleigh. Republican Associate Justice Paul Newby defeated incumbent Democratic Chief Justice Cheri Beasley by roughly 400 votes. Nearly 5.4 million ballots were cast. Beasley, who was elevated...
Opinion
New era on N.C. Supreme Court begins with election of conservative Chief Justice Paul Newby
After failing to earn a statewide hand recount, and unable to get Democratic boards of elections to accept ballots already deemed unlawful, Chief Justice Cheri Beasley conceded the North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice race Saturday, Dec. 12. The Saturday morning concession, 39 days after the election, clears the way for Republican Justice Paul Newby...
News
Outcome of chief justice race may depend on state election board’s independence
This story was updated after initial publication. See editor’s note at the end. The ballots have been counted. Twice. Some will be counted again. Maybe all of them. Even after that, North Carolinians may not know who will be the chief justice of the state Supreme Court in 2021. Associate Justice Paul Newby, a Republican,...
News
Newby holds slim lead in chief justice race; Beasley demands recount
Fewer than 400 votes. That’s how much N.C. Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby leads Chief Justice Cheri Beasley as county elections boards completed their canvasses earlier this week. The State Board of Elections website showed Newby, a Republican, leading the incumbent Democrat Beasley by 366 votes as of 11:48 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17. With more...
News
N.C. waits … and waits … for resolution as election results trickle out
The waiting truly is the hardest part. As election results trickle out, North Carolinians are watching, trying to make sense of which ballots we’re counting, which races are safe to predict, and which races may flip. Prolonged ballot counting doesn’t necessarily equal election fraud, experts say, but a little clarity in reporting from the N.C....
News
Republicans perform well in appellate court races
Races for North Carolina’s highest courts are tight, but they favored Republicans as votes were tallied late on Election Day. The state’s political landscape will be shaped by the N.C. Supreme Court for years to come. Incumbent Chief Justice Cheri Beasley trailed Republican challenger Paul Newby by a slim margin Wednesday morning. Appeals Court Judge...
News
State board to require witness signatures on absentee ballots, ending one part of legal fight
The State Board of Elections will send voters whose absentee ballots lack a witness signature a new ballot, restoring a process for mail-in votes that was tied up in state and federal courts. Meanwhile, the N.C. Court of Appeals has ended its order blocking other provisions of a state election lawsuit settlement. The appeals court...
News
Wake judge candidate appears to violate residency requirement
Tim Gunther, a lawyer and Wake County District Court Judge candidate, appears to be running from a district where he doesn’t live. If so, that would violate state law. He’s owned a house in Cary since 2006. It’s in Judicial District 10D. There’s a problem. He’s running in District 10F. He’s registered to vote in...
News
Snapshots of the candidates running in statewide appellate court races
As Carolina Journal has reported, the outcome of the election for three justices on the N.C. Supreme Court may determine whether state government returns to the structure it’s largely followed over the past half-century. Separation of powers, but with the legislative branch in charge of most policymaking. Or will it continue a path of ascending...
News
Outcome of N.C. Supreme Court races could alter political landscape for years
The most important elections in North Carolina are the races for the N.C. Supreme Court. So, pay attention! Judges are easily forgotten amid presidential campaigns and Washington antics. Media obsessions and arguments over COVID-19 add to the din. But in a year when so many freedoms are suffocated by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s arbitrary mandates,...
