Interactive sessions, panel discussions, and an art exhibit framed the conference. “In Our Court: The Fight for Justice in North Carolina” a space for reflection on the judicial system and its impact on artists of the state.
The event, which took place at North Carolina Central University School of Law on Saturday, April 12, examined the vital role the North Carolina judicial system plays in our daily lives.
“This is the inaugural opportunity for people to come together across the state, and particularly today in the Triangle, to reflect on all of the attacks on justice that have been happening in North Carolina lately,” explained Sailor Jones, Associate Director of Common Cause North Carolina, to Enlace Latino NC.
The conference was sponsored by Common Cause NC, American Constitution Society, Democracy NC, Emancipate NC, HBCU Student Action Alliance, People's Parity Project, Pro-Choice North Carolina, and Southern Vision Alliance.
Start a movement in the state on the role of the judicial system
Jones said the event is the first step in starting a movement that will travel across the state.
"We have students from Duke, Campbell, and UNC here at North Carolina Central University. And we've already received requests to travel to other parts of the state to hold a similar meeting."
The goal is to bring this conference to other parts of the state.
“We will be voting for judges for the state Supreme Court in 2026. But we also vote in the local elections and we can make a big difference for justice where we live,” he reflected.
The difference that can be made
Jones emphasized that the time has come to open a conversation about what it takes to advance the fight for justice in North Carolina.
“This shows the difference ordinary people can make in this cause, not just here, but across the country,” he said.
He also referred to the legal battle for the state Supreme Court seat and the attempt to invalidate thousands of votes.
"The fight is not over. We're telling the people of North Carolina that we're going to keep pushing," he said.
Jones issued a call to action: “You must join us in this campaign to demand that the judge we elected be elected to the state Supreme Court, not just in this election, but in all the elections to come.”
You may be interested: Thousands of votes from military personnel and Americans abroad are at risk after a state Supreme Court ruling.
“North Carolina Supreme Court, the most partisan in the United States”
In the opening panel, “Channel to Power: Building Justice Where You Are,” law professor Gene Nichol noted that since “Republicans took control of the North Carolina Supreme Court In 2023, they have made it more partisan of the United States.”
"As a result, it's no longer a real court. At least four of its members, a majority, aren't actually judges," he said.
“They violate their oath of office daily. They are just a group, of course, an old white group of the Republican Party“I know it sounds extreme and exaggerated, but it isn't,” he said.
Political change
To illustrate his point, Nichol shared that the new Republican court, which took office in April 2023, had its presentation reversing previous rulings.
"Harper v. Hall, supporting a gerrymandering extreme politician; Holmes vs. Moore, allowing a voter ID intentionally based on race; and the community initiative that eliminated more than 50,000 people from the voting rolls by reinstating a race-based disenfranchisement rule for crimes,” he explained.
Nichol shared that some of the specifics of these cases, such as "throw the rulebook out the window, employing rehearing mechanisms never before seen in U.S. law."
Furthermore, he mentioned, they overturn “final rulings simply because the political makeup of the court changed, discarding 200 years of precedent to do partisan political work.”
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