Crossing-Out Control of the Courts

Convention_of_1868_DocSouth_conv68tpBack in October, I wrote an article for Up and Coming Weekly about judicial redistricting.  I argued the Republican majority in Raleigh was attempting to gerrymander judicial districts on racial lines to gain an advantage in the North Carolina courts.  This will lead to further partisan and racial divide in a place that should, in theory, be free from racial bias and party influence.  The Republican majority has yet to succeed in these redistricting plans, but they are now pushing forward with a different sort of power-grab.

The Governor of North Carolina has held the power to fill vacancies in our District Courts since they were first created by statute in 1965.  A bill introduced in the House of Representatives will alter 50+ years of law and tradition.

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“One of Us” Democrats – Senate 19

Last month, we predicted a quiet Democratic Primary in NC Senate 19 unless one of the candidates threw a punch.  Well an uppercut has been thrown, and like everything in politics at this moment, it’s tied to President Trump.  Ed Donaldson, who has thus far run a minimal campaign, went after Kirk deViere’s past in the following mailer to Democratic voters:

attack

Donaldson’s attack is effective for multiple reasons:

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Primary Turnout Will Buck the Trend

I like making predictions.  Part of my job as an attorney is to take all the facts, apply them to my knowledge of the law and the court system, and make a prediction into the future.  This means whittling down uncertainty and eliminating risk.  I often make predictions outside of the office, and my wife would probably tell you that I take myself too seriously, but I feel a sense of reward when my foresight is true.  Who doesn’t like being right?

Some people will tell you that your guess is only as good as your information.  Others like our president will tell you that some people have an ability, a certain instinct or intuition that enables them to make a good prediction.

I hope the following includes both good information and instinct:

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Hearing Set for Senate 21

Read a breakdown of the vicious primary battle between Senator Ben Clark and his primary challenger, Naveed Aziz, using this link.

(D) on (D) Violence in Senate 21 Primary

North Carolina’s Senate District 21 was drawn by the General Assembly as a safe Democratic district.  In short, it was packed with Democratic voters (especially African Americans) in an attempt to water down their influence in Cumberland County and make neighboring Senate District 19 safe for a Republican.  In the 2016 general election, incumbent Ben Clark won District 21 with 71.74% of the vote.

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