The North Carolina Supreme Court refused to sanction two Republican judges, even though those judges admitted that they had violated ethics rules, according to an explosive new report from ProPublica. This sends a clear message that there’s a double standard for judicial ethics in North Carolina. Republican judges can do whatever they want, while Democrats have to worry about trumped-up ethics charges for conduct that’s totally innocent.
Though the process was entirely behind closed doors, ProPublica confirmed that the Judicial Standards Commission (JSC), which investigated ethics complaints against judges, had recommended sanctions against two Republican judges. One of the judges had jailed a witness for days to ensure they would be in court. The other judge got into a shouting match with a defendant, who was shot dead by a police officer after things escalated.
Both of these judges conceded that they violated ethics rules, and the JSC recommended sanctions. But the state supreme court has the final say. And the Republican justices let these Republican judges off the hook. It was the first time the court had ever disagreed with the JSC’s suggestions.
The court did, however, sanction a Black Democratic judge a few months later. There have been reports that Chief Justice Paul Newby was behind the JSC’s investigation into comments by Justice Anita Earls, the only Black person on the court, about bias and discrimination in the judiciary. Earls had faced potential sanctions for a media interview in which she discussed problems with the treatment of attorneys of color and women at the high court.
Best in Moderation
Article URL : https://ncnewsline.com/2024/06/20/n-c-supreme-court-sends-a-message-ethics-rules-dont-apply-to-republican-judges/