2 - North Carolina

Summary

North Carolina could be described as the archetype of political/policy motivation in states changing their judicial selection/retention systems. Although the first change from partisan to nonpartisan elections came in response to litigation, most of the changes to nonpartisan elections were made when the Democratic Party controlled the legislature, but Republican judicial candidates were having increasing success in partisan judicial elections. Once Republicans obtained political control in the state, the legislature sought to manipulate judicial selection/retention to advantage Republicans, albeit sometimes being hoisted on their own petard.