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January 13, 2022 - A Republican justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit filed against his father, the leader of the state Senate, over whether a racially gerrymandered legislature can amend the constitution. The decision came after his colleagues decided not to disqualify him, amid a pressure campaign by powerful conservative forces that accused the court of engaging in a coup and threatened justices with impeachment.

July 31, 2019 - A recent study found that judges in North Carolina and two other states hand down longer sentences during their re-election campaigns. It also confirmed that judges in some states treat black defendants more harshly, with the disparity most pronounced in Alabama. 

October 4, 2018 - Florida, Georgia and North Carolina are among the states where voting rights advocates have documented a high rate of voter names being purged from the rolls, with people of color disproportionately affected. Time is running out to check registrations and fix problems before the November election.

April 25, 2018 - The first peer-reviewed study of ads bought on Facebook to influence the 2016 election is renewing calls for Congress to pass the Honest Ads Act, which would close disclosure loopholes for political ads on social media. The stalled bill is opposed by groups including Americans for Prosperity and an anti-regulatory think tank with a connection to Senate leader Mitch McConnell.

April 9, 2018 - While gerrymandered maps have given Republicans a dramatic advantage in recent elections, court rulings have led to fairer maps in Virginia and other battleground states. Will they even the playing field?

July 14, 2017 - Eight justices who had previously dismissed a challenge to same-sex spousal benefits recently changed their minds. Some have argued they were riding a change in political tides, but there may be more to the story than a nationwide conservative swing.

October 28, 2016 - Political groups unaffiliated with candidates' campaigns have already spent a record amount this election cycle to influence races for state supreme court seats. Among the states seeing big spending are Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina.