North Carolina
North Carolina’s highest court is the Supreme Court of North Carolina. The court has six associate justices and one chief justice. The chief justice is chosen through election. (Source: North Carolina Constitution)
Judicial Selection
Justices on the Supreme Court of North Carolina are selected through a partisan election, where multiple candidates may vie for the seat. The elected justice serves an eight-year term. Justices may seek additional terms through partisan elections. When a seat opens in the middle of a justice’s term, the governor appoints a candidate to fill the vacancy. The appointed justice holds office until North Carolina’s next general election more than 60 days after the vacancy occurred. The elected justice serves the remainder of the unexpired term. There are no term limits. The mandatory retirement age is 72.
State Constitution
North Carolina has had three state constitutions adopted between 1776 and 1970. As of January 1, 2024, it had 41 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
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A New Tool Makes Comparing State Constitutions Easier
Scholars, practitioners, and judges can quickly see how constitutional provisions differ or overlap with a resource from the nonprofit American Juris Link.
How Courts and Litigators Can Help Redefine “Cruel” and “Unusual” Punishments
A new law review article offers guidance for state appellate judges interpreting their Eighth Amendment cognates for the first time.
The History of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States, and What Might Come Next
Until the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, the country was a patchwork of laws regarding who could marry.
Extreme Heat Exacerbates Dire Prison Conditions, With Few Paths to Relief
People behind bars are particularly vulnerable to harm during heat waves and climate-related disasters. Advocates should consider state constitutional solutions.
Attorney General Duties Are a Frequent Target of Legislative Gamesmanship
Legislatures in multiple states have stripped power from attorneys general they disagree with politically.
The Strange Legal Standard Eroding Civil Rights In North Carolina
In a string of recent cases, the North Carolina Supreme Court has demanded claimants prove that statutes are “unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt.”
North Carolina Court Enables a Partisan Shift on State Elections Board
The court approved a law to strip the governor’s election board powers, risking creating a precedent for partisan power-grabbing.
Vaccines, Religious Freedom, and Parental Rights
Massachusetts’s supreme court ruled last week that the state violated religious freedom guarantees when it vaccinated a child in its custody over parental objections.