RALEIGH – North Carolina voters will choose between Democratic Justice Anita Earls and Republican challenger Sarah Stevens for one seat on the state Supreme Court in the Nov. 3 general election.
The candidates described sharply different views of the court’s role in separate interviews with WUNC. Their answers focused on constitutional limits, respect for legislation, precedent and when a justice should step away from a case.
Earls, who is seeking a second eight-year term, said the court must make sure the executive and legislative branches are “held accountable to the guarantees in the state constitution.” She argued that the court should apply constitutional protections even when doing so conflicts with actions by elected officials.
Earls also criticized the court’s recent practice of rehearing and reversing decisions after its membership changed. She said such reversals can weaken the stability that precedent is meant to provide. The current court has a 5-2 Republican majority, according to WUNC.
Stevens, a former Republican state representative, said courts should interpret the law without taking over policy decisions assigned to the legislature. Referring to judges making policy choices, she told WUNC, “That’s not their lane.”
Stevens said she would step aside from a case involving something she personally did, but she would examine arguments from both sides when the dispute concerned a measure she supported as one legislator among many.
The State Board’s judicial voter guide presents a similar contrast in candidate-submitted statements: Earls stresses an independent court and balance of powers, while Stevens emphasizes following the law as written and applying it neutrally.
The interviews present the candidates’ positions; they do not independently establish that either candidate’s criticism of past court conduct is correct. The State Board of Elections’ judicial voter guide confirms Earls and Stevens are the two candidates for the associate justice seat.
Only one of the court’s seven seats is on the statewide ballot this year. The winner will serve an eight-year term.
Sources
- WUNC: NC Supreme Court candidates outline their judicial philosophies
- North Carolina State Board of Elections: Upcoming election
- North Carolina State Board of Elections: 2026 judicial voter guide
Photo Credit: Neeta Lind via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (Anita Earls, 2017); North Carolina General Assembly via Wikimedia Commons, public domain (Sarah Stevens, 2021). Adapted by cropping and placing side by side with matched face scale and eye level; no facial alteration.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.