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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Mississippi Supreme Court Blocks Part of Law Changing How Jackson Judges Are Selected
The court struck down the creation of new appointed circuit judges while leaving an inferior court intact
State Judges Must Guard Their Independence
The legislative assault on state supreme courts is one of the greatest threats to our system of checks and balances.
South Carolina’s Supreme Court Backtracks on Reproductive Rights
The high court upheld a strict abortion ban just seven months after striking down a similar law.
Protecting Against Extreme Punishments
The Supreme Court’s Eighth Amendment jurisprudence has come to obscure what started as robust state constitutional protections.
Status of Partisan Gerrymandering Litigation in State Courts: A Mid-Year Roundup
Ahead of 2024, voters have increasingly turned to state courts to challenge gerrymandered districts.
The Neglected State Constitutional Protections Against Extreme Punishments
Two new law review articles explore the origins of antipunishment clauses in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
The Supreme Court and the States
This term, the justices considered cases with widely varying outcomes and major implications for state courts.
U.S. Supreme Court Affirms State Courts’ Role in Election Cases
The Court rejected claims that state legislatures are “independent” while signaling it could review extraordinary state court rulings in federal election cases.