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A GOP-dominated NC Supreme Court reflects a national push to politicize state courts (Opinion)
Raleigh News & ObserverThe North Carolina Supreme Court building in downtown Raleigh hasn’t changed, but the idea of judicial independence expressed by the building’s impressive granite facade is disintegrating.
That breakdown became clear in the closing months of the state Supreme Court session. The court, with a 4-3 Democratic majority, fast-tracked rulings on school funding, redistricting and voter ID ahead of the Republican majority that will take control of the court in January.
The rush of rulings was effectively a vote of no confidence that a Republican-dominated court would rule against actions taken by the Republican-led General Assembly. The three Republican justices showed that expectation to be well founded. The votes in all three cases were along party lines.
The incoming court will have a 5-2 Republican majority after Republicans gained two seats in the November election. GOP legislative leaders see their party’s victories as a rebuke of Democratic justices who ruled against Republican positions.
It’s no accident that North Carolina ended up with a high court that is likely to enable rather than check legislative excesses.
That breakdown became clear in the closing months of the state Supreme Court session. The court, with a 4-3 Democratic majority, fast-tracked rulings on school funding, redistricting and voter ID ahead of the Republican majority that will take control of the court in January.
The rush of rulings was effectively a vote of no confidence that a Republican-dominated court would rule against actions taken by the Republican-led General Assembly. The three Republican justices showed that expectation to be well founded. The votes in all three cases were along party lines.
The incoming court will have a 5-2 Republican majority after Republicans gained two seats in the November election. GOP legislative leaders see their party’s victories as a rebuke of Democratic justices who ruled against Republican positions.
It’s no accident that North Carolina ended up with a high court that is likely to enable rather than check legislative excesses.