judicial ethics

August 24, 2022 - The state's Democratic-controlled high court ruled that a legislature found to discriminate against Black voters doesn't have unlimited authority to propose constitutional amendments. The decision caps off a four-year legal battle over amendments approved by voters that mandate voter ID and lower the state's income tax cap.

April 7, 2022 - Chief Justice Paul Newby, a Republican elected by a razor-thin margin in 2020, is reshaping North Carolina's judiciary to fit his intensely partisan vision.

January 13, 2022 - A Republican justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit filed against his father, the leader of the state Senate, over whether a racially gerrymandered legislature can amend the constitution. The decision came after his colleagues decided not to disqualify him, amid a pressure campaign by powerful conservative forces that accused the court of engaging in a coup and threatened justices with impeachment.

October 13, 2021 - North Carolina legislators have appealed a ruling that struck down a 2018 voter ID statute as racially discriminatory. And a lawsuit challenging a related voter ID amendment is at the North Carolina Supreme Court, where two justices are under scrutiny for conflicts of interest in the case.

March 10, 2020 - The Arkansas Supreme Court will have a new conservative majority following Barbara Webb's win in last week's election. Webb's campaign was backed by GOP money, and she faces an allegation of violating ethics rules by campaigning as a Republican for the nonpartisan seat.

October 19, 2018 - A new ad from Republican Justice Barbara Jackson raises ethical questions due to its partisan tone and stoking of conservative voters' fears about immigrants. Jackson has also shared alt-right followers' tweets and raised First Amendment concerns by blocking a Twitter follower for pointing out that she was retweeting a racist account.