The article discusses the impact of North Carolina's chief justice, Paul Newby, on the state's judiciary and democracy. Newby has been a key player in shaping the court system, using his power to consolidate conservative control over the courts.
Newby's rise to power began in 2004 when he was elected to the Supreme Court as part of a Republican sweep. He quickly established himself as a strong conservative voice on the court, and his allies began to promote him for higher office.
In 2019, Newby became chief justice after the resignation of Mark Martin, who had been the state's top jurist since 2001. As chief justice, Newby has further expanded his influence over the courts, using his power to shape the court's agenda and appoint conservative judges to key positions.
Newby's impact on democracy has been significant, as he has played a key role in reducing the governor's control over the state's government. He has also helped Republicans consolidate control over the courts, which has eroded trust in the judiciary among Americans.
Some North Carolina Republicans have expressed concerns about Newby's tactics, including Tillis, who has called partisan judicial elections "a bad idea on a long-term basis." Experts fear that if this approach becomes the norm nationally, it could lead to naked power and undermine the independence of the judiciary.
The article highlights several key aspects of Newby's impact:
1. Consolidation of conservative control: Newby has helped Republicans consolidate control over the courts in North Carolina, which has reduced the governor's control over the state's government.
2. Partisan judicial elections: Newby has been a key proponent of partisan judicial elections, which have led to large amounts of money being spent on judicial races and has eroded trust in the judiciary among Americans.
3. Erosion of confidence: The article notes that Americans' confidence in the judiciary is at a record low, and that this may be due in part to Newby's tactics.
4. National implications: Experts fear that if this approach becomes the norm nationally, it could lead to naked power and undermine the independence of the judiciary.
Overall, the article presents a critical view of Newby's impact on North Carolina's judiciary and democracy, highlighting concerns about the erosion of confidence in the judiciary and the potential for naked power.
Newby's rise to power began in 2004 when he was elected to the Supreme Court as part of a Republican sweep. He quickly established himself as a strong conservative voice on the court, and his allies began to promote him for higher office.
In 2019, Newby became chief justice after the resignation of Mark Martin, who had been the state's top jurist since 2001. As chief justice, Newby has further expanded his influence over the courts, using his power to shape the court's agenda and appoint conservative judges to key positions.
Newby's impact on democracy has been significant, as he has played a key role in reducing the governor's control over the state's government. He has also helped Republicans consolidate control over the courts, which has eroded trust in the judiciary among Americans.
Some North Carolina Republicans have expressed concerns about Newby's tactics, including Tillis, who has called partisan judicial elections "a bad idea on a long-term basis." Experts fear that if this approach becomes the norm nationally, it could lead to naked power and undermine the independence of the judiciary.
The article highlights several key aspects of Newby's impact:
1. Consolidation of conservative control: Newby has helped Republicans consolidate control over the courts in North Carolina, which has reduced the governor's control over the state's government.
2. Partisan judicial elections: Newby has been a key proponent of partisan judicial elections, which have led to large amounts of money being spent on judicial races and has eroded trust in the judiciary among Americans.
3. Erosion of confidence: The article notes that Americans' confidence in the judiciary is at a record low, and that this may be due in part to Newby's tactics.
4. National implications: Experts fear that if this approach becomes the norm nationally, it could lead to naked power and undermine the independence of the judiciary.
Overall, the article presents a critical view of Newby's impact on North Carolina's judiciary and democracy, highlighting concerns about the erosion of confidence in the judiciary and the potential for naked power.
. It seems like Paul Newby is using his power to manipulate the court system and undermine democracy. He's basically taking away the governor's control over the state's government, which could lead to some major problems down the line. And with partisan judicial elections, it's getting even more expensive and personal - I mean who wants their judge to be elected based on party lines? It's like they're trying to politicize the judiciary 
. We need to keep a close eye on this guy, for sure 
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It's like he's using his power to shape the courts into something that serves his own interests rather than fair justice for everyone. I'm not surprised that some folks are worried about this... it does seem like a recipe for disaster if we let partisan politics take over the judiciary. What's next? Will politicians be making appointments based on who's got the most money? It's already kinda weird how much money is being spent on these judicial elections... 
. He's like, totally using his power to stuff the courts with conservative judges, which means less checks on the gov't & more influence from the party in power 
. I mean, what even is the point of having an independent judiciary if it's just gonna be a rubber stamp for whoever's in charge? 
It's like, we already have enough problems with politics getting all messy...do we really need to make the courts part of the problem too? 
. It's not surprising that experts are worried about him spreading this model across the US - it could lead to some serious erosion of trust in the judiciary and undermine their independence 
#JudicialIndependenceMatters! On a lighter note, I'd love to see Tillis go up against Newby in a debate 
#NCPoliticsDrama. Anyway, it's clear that Newby is making waves & people are taking notice 
#TheHashtagHero.
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. I mean, we're supposed to have an independent judiciary that's above the fray, but when you have someone like Newby in power, it's hard not to wonder if they're more interested in serving their own interests than upholding justice 
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. We need to have some level of impartiality in our judiciary, not just politicians trying to use it for their own gain.
. We need to be more vigilant about who we're electing to these positions and make sure they're representing the people, not just themselves 
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. some ppl are worried that this is gonna lead to partisan elections for judgeships which sounds like a bad idea to me 
. it'll be interesting to see how this plays out nationally...
. No more independence, just party loyalty 
. This isn't justice, it's just power grab 
. As chief justice, he gets to decide which cases come up and who gets appointed to key positions. That's a lot of power, especially when you're talking about someone who wants to shape the law in a certain way. Some people are saying it's like a game of politics instead of actual justice 
. He's like a puppet master pullin' strings from behind the scenes. I mean, what's goin' on with all these partisan judicial elections? It's just gonna lead to more money bein' thrown around and less focus on doin' what's right for the people 
. We need judges who can make tough calls without fear or favoritism, not ones who'll do whatever party line says.
... money is just going to keep flowing in from special interests and it'll only get worse. We should be focusing on finding smart, fair-minded people for these positions, not just whoever has the most cash 
. He uses his power to shape the agenda and appoints judges who share his views – it's like a chess match, but with gavel-wielding instead of checkers 
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. It's like he's playing a game of judicial politics, using partisan elections to control the narrative and sway public opinion 
. And the experts are worried that if this becomes national policy, we'll be seeing naked power and undermining the independence of our courts 
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. But as a democracy enthusiast, it makes me nervous 
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. Newby's got this huge influence over the courts and it's like he's playing with fire 
. What happens when he starts picking his favorite judges? Does that really create more fairness in the system or is it just a bunch of smoke and mirrors? 
. It's like, how can you trust something when people are making decisions that make you feel uneasy? 
It could be disastrous for the independence of our judiciary and for American democracy as a whole 
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and turn the courts into just another tool for the party in power 
How can we trust the judiciary when they're basically just puppets for the party in power?!?! 
#JusticeForAll