The state of North Carolina is in the process of partisan judicial elections. The underlying premise of partisan elections is that different parties stand for different positions. This premise is valid for legislative and executive offices.
Judicial offices are different.
An essential characteristic of a good judge, indeed a requirement of the Judicial Code, is the ability to put aside personal preferences and handle matters impartially, based on the laws of this state and the facts of the particular case being heard. As a strong two-party system continues to develop in this state, we face the spectacle of increasing political rhetoric in the elections of judges. This rhetoric demeans and distorts the public perception of and public confidence in the system of justice in the state by suggesting that cases are, and presumable should be, based upon a judge's personal or political philosophy rather than the law and the facts of the particular case. When judicial candidates raise money and when special interest groups contribute to their campaigns, the perception is that justice is for sale. These perceptions represent a distortion of reality, and are demeaning to the judicial system of this state, to its judges, and to the legal profession.