judicial elections
May 26, 2022 -
Republicans and corporate interests spent large sums on recent appellate court elections in Arkansas and North Carolina. Incumbents fended off the challenges, but the results set the stage for multimillion-dollar judicial elections this fall as the GOP and its business backers prepare to spend unprecedented amounts on crucial court races.
April 7, 2022 -
Chief Justice Paul Newby, a Republican elected by a razor-thin margin in 2020, is reshaping North Carolina's judiciary to fit his intensely partisan vision.
November 18, 2021 -
Voting rights groups have challenged election districts for the Louisiana Supreme Court, which counts just one Black justice among its seven members. Legislators want to add new districts to settle the suit, but their most recent attempt broke down over the issue of how many should have majority-Black populations.
April 8, 2021 -
The Texas legislature may consolidate the state's appeals courts, where Democrats have gained seats in recent elections — and watchdogs say the changes could violate the Voting Rights Act. The plan is being pushed by a big business group that has spent nearly $1 million to back GOP judicial candidates. A new West Virginia appeals court also had the support of big business.
November 6, 2020 -
Conservatives won supreme court races across the South this week. The results could shift Kentucky's high court to the right. The race for North Carolina chief justice is too close to call as mail-in ballots are still being tallied.
August 26, 2020 -
Southern states are holding judicial elections this year that will shape the outcome of critical cases involving voting rights and criminal justice. The elections could also bring unprecedented diversity to courts in some states.
August 12, 2020 -
A federal appeals court recently overturned a lower court ruling that required a new majority-Black judicial election district in Terrebonne Parish. Only one Black judge has served there, but a white judge was re-elected after donning blackface and a prison jumpsuit for Halloween. The case is part of a broader struggle for judicial elections that are fair to Black voters.
