North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, right, appoints State Court of Appeals Judge Allison Riggs, left, to the North Carolina Supreme Court to fill a vacancy, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, at the Executive Mansion in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
With a groundbreaking presidential ticket and a highly competitive governor’s race, it’s understandable if you haven’t been paying attention to North Carolina’s judicial races. But you really should be. Four statewide judicial races will be on the ballot in November. The judicial candidates who win those races will have the power to control your lives.
The judges who win will be ruling in cases that can decide your reproductive rights and freedoms, your child’s right to adequate funding in our public schools, your community’s ability to rezone your property, and your voting rights.
You have the power to decide and elect who you trust to have control over your rights and freedoms.
Just as the choice for president and governor this fall could not be more starkly different, so is the choice for the contested seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Justice Allison Riggs stands for individual freedoms and constitutional protections, and is a staunch defender of women’s reproductive rights. She has argued cases before the US Supreme Court, has been an advocate for voting rights, and considers every case fairly and evenly. She believes in a strict judicial code of ethics and will take care to avoid any semblance of a conflict of interest.
Meanwhile her opponent, Jefferson Griffin, is an ardent supporter of an extreme right-wing judicial philosophy that limits personal freedoms and says we have no right to personal privacy. Griffin initially signed onto an opinion that said life begins at conception, signaling his intent to ignore established law and deny access to abortion and possibly even birth control and fertility treatments like IVF.
In addition to the Supreme Court race, there are also three seats on the NC Court of Appeals on the ballot. Judge Carolyn Thompson, Marion Martin, and Ed Eldred are all incredibly qualified candidates. They believe in the rule of law, that due process and equal protection matter, and that power and money should not sway decisions. They embody honesty, impartiality and fairness.
This fall, it is imperative that you get out and vote not just for a president and a governor who will defend our freedoms, but judicial candidates who are integral to protecting our rights as well. Every vote counts. As you may remember, in 2020 Justice Cheri Beasley lost by a mere 404 votes out of millions cast.
Your vote will make a difference. Judicial races matter.
Author
A powerful NC lawmaker spread misinformation about elections. Here’s what NC’s top election official has to say about it.
Every word of NC election chief Karen Brinson Bell's rebuttal of misinformation spread by NC Senate President Phil Berger. This week, one of North...
OPINION: Tight NC Supreme Court race proves again that every single vote matters
The election of a crucial seat on North Carolina’s highest court, which could have outsized power over abortion rights and democracy, looks like it...
Op-Ed: How do we find candidates who represent the working class? This election shows that those who lead us should be the same people who make our society go.
This column is syndicated by Beacon Media. I grew up tagging along behind my dad at construction sites. He would find a hard hat for me to wear, and...
Democrat Allison Riggs moves closer to victory in NC Supreme Court race
A recount has been ordered, but the 625-vote margin is likely too big for Republican Jefferson Griffin to make up. At the official end of the...
