STOP THE NEXT ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY
Ambitious legislators in Raleigh have already tried to cheat voters with racial gerrymandering and voting restrictions, but the courts have repeatedly overruled them. Now they’re trying to take control of the courts by changing the way judges are elected in North Carolina. It’s time to fight back.
Top lawmakers are promoting a bill to replace judicial elections with a plan to have legislative leaders reward their friends with appointments as family and traffic court judges, criminal court judges, and even Supreme Court justices. They’re calling it “merit selection” but it’s really political cronyism. Once legislators have the power to cherry pick our judges, there will be little to stop them from rigging things in their favor. It’s a bold move – and it must be stopped.
We need to send a strong message to the N.C. Legislature that we oppose this latest partisan power grab.
There are also bills designed to intimidate current judges so they won’t speak out against the appointment plan – bills to redraw the judges’ districts, disrupt their court duties, and force them out of office at the end of 2018. As a result, the legal community — regardless of party or position — is speaking out against these attacks on our courts.