In a judicial race that is supposed to be nonpartisan, politics played a major role in when and why voters went to the polls Tuesday to narrow the field of candidates seeking a seat on the state’s highest court.
Four candidates for one open seat on the N.C. Supreme Court had to face off in a winnowing primary vote that only occurred because of a court ruling that eliminated a legislative attempt last year to switch to so-called “retention” elections.
Turnout was light, less than 10 percent, in a statewide race that has the potential to swing the political and philosophical tilt on a court that has grappled in recent years with a host of legal issues that divide along partisan lines.
Incumbent Justice Robert “Bob” Edmunds, a Republican who has been on the Supreme Court since 2001, will face a challenge in November from Mike Morgan, a Democrat from Wake County who touts his 22 years of experience as a Superior Court judge, district judge and administrative law judge….
North Carolina’s highest court is currently split between four Republicans and three Democrats.