NC Supreme Court races will determine the future rights of North Carolinians – and Republicans must not gain control of the court

State judicial races don’t usually get much attention from voters or the media, but the decisions made by these elected officials often have massive implications that are felt for years. North Carolina has two vitally important races for Supreme Court seats on the ballot this year.

Democrats currently hold a 4-3 majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court, but Republicans could find themselves with a 5-2 advantage after November’s election – a chilling scenario for anyone concerned about their rights and freedoms.

• Along with Gov. Roy Cooper, the high court in North Carolina has served as a firewall over the last several years as the Republican-controlled legislature has tried to get away with extreme gerrymandering, disenfranchising Black voters and banning abortion.
• Many of the NCGOP efforts that have been stopped by Cooper or blocked by the state Supreme Court will have new life if Republicans take control of the high court.
• A Republican-controlled state Supreme Court would have the chance to make rulings on cases involving issues such as redistricting, voter ID, reproductive rights and public school funding.

A North Carolina Supreme Court with a 5-2 or 4-3 Republican majority would likely set voting rights back decades, allow partisan and racially gerrymandered maps to be used, severely restrict or outright ban abortion, prevent Leandro Plan funding from ever reaching our public schools and allow countless other harmful Republican priorities to become law.

These Supreme Court races are likely the most important to the average North Carolinian because the rulings made by the court will have the most immediate and long-term effects in our state.

A recent WRAL poll shows Dietz and Allen leading their Democratic opponents, but the races have tightened significantly over the past several weeks. Election Day is just a few weeks away, and early voting starts soon. Allowing Republicans to gain control of the state Supreme Court will have dire consequences for North Carolinians.