29/04/2022
Thank you for addressing this. Why is it, when a man vacates a seat on the Court, nothing is said? He's actually cheered on. But when a woman does it, a male opponent with no judicial experience, is pushed to defeat her. What is up with that?
Thank you so much to all of my supporters who are out there addressing misinformation being spread about my race. I greatly appreciate you and all your hard work!
For those of you who do not know what I’m talking about, there are several intentionally misleading rumors about what happens to my seat on the NC Court of Appeals when I win the NC Supreme Court race. This post is long, but very informative.
All judicial appointments work the same way, whether at the trial or appellate court level:
—The sitting governor appoints someone to fill a vacant seat until the next election.
—Appointed individuals do NOT fill the rest of an unexpired term.
—Appointed individuals must run in the next election for a new term of their own.
For example, Justice Phil Berger Jr. had four years left on his Court of Appeals term when he ran for Supreme Court in 2020. The governor appointed his replacement, and that appointee must run for the seat this year. Charlton Allen and Michael Stading are running to replace that appointee.
The focus needs to be on winning the NC Supreme Court, which can and does overrule the Court of Appeals. The NC Court of Appeals has a huge conservative majority, 10 Republicans to 5 Democrats. There are also 2 Democrat seats up for election in November that we will pick up. When Judge Dietz and I win the Supreme Court races, the governor will appoint both of our replacements. Even with those appointments, we will have won two Democrat seats on the NC Court of Appeals, so there will still be a 10 to 5 majority on the NC Court of Appeals.
My election to the NC Supreme Court does not affect our majority on the NC Court of Appeals, but it does give us a majority on the NC Supreme Court and puts an EXPERIENCED CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATIVE JUDGE on the NC Supreme Court. I am the only Republican in this race with ANY judicial experience, and the North Carolina Supreme Court is not an entry level position.
