This November, North Carolina voters will decide whether to retain incumbent State Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls or elect Republican challenger Sarah Stevens to an eight-year term on the state’s highest court, in a race that could shape the court’s direction on constitutional rights, judicial ethics, and the balance of power between the judiciary and the legislature.
Stevens, a former member of the North Carolina House, resigned from her seat earlier this summer to focus on her Supreme Court campaign. Her resignation drew criticism from Democratic leaders, including North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton, who accused Stevens of abandoning her constituents while seeking campaign contributions from lobbyists.
Stevens’s resignation also followed a warning from the North Carolina State Board of Elections regarding campaign contributions from registered lobbyists while she was serving in the General Assembly. Stevens has acknowledged that campaign-finance restrictions were among the factors in her decision to leave the legislature.
Stevens has also faced scrutiny over campaign contributions connected to Harvey West, a convicted sex offender who has hosted fundraisers for Republican judicial candidates. The North Carolina Democratic Party has criticized Stevens for accepting contributions associated with West and called on her to return the money. Stevens has disputed aspects of the criticism surrounding her relationship with West.
The controversy has contributed to a broader debate over fundraising, conflicts of interest, and ethical standards in North Carolina judicial elections. Stevens has also faced criticism over her legislative record on issues involving protections for children.
In September, NC Families First launched what it described as a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign targeting Stevens. The ads focus in part on her legislative record on child-safety legislation, including an earlier version of the Safe Child Act and HB 1021, which bans registered sex offenders whose victims were minors from going where children can often be found. Stevens has argued that the advertisements misrepresent her work as a criminal attorney and misunderstand the legislative process.
As North Carolina voters prepare to cast their ballots, the candidates’ records and judicial philosophies will be central issues in the Supreme Court race.