Newby seeks Supreme Court seat
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on October 6, 2004 2:00 PM
How does one candidate in a field of eight distinguish himself enough to make voters remember his name?
Paul Newby's 8-year-old daughter had a suggestion. "She said I should run with the slogan, 'Scooby Dooby, vote for Newby,'" Newby said with a laugh.
Newby
Newby, 49, of Raleigh, is one of the candidates seeking to replace Associate Justice Bob Orr on the N.C. Su-preme Court. Because the election wasn't called un-til July, when Orr retired, there will be no primary. Whoever finishes atop the Nov. 2 returns wins, even if it's just by one vote.
An assistant U.S. attorney for the past 20 years, Newby believes he has the criminal and civil trial experience to serve on the Supreme Court, he said during an interview Tuesday afternoon in Golds-boro.
"I've done everything from going after the assets of drug dealers to defending public institutions from medical malpractice claims," he said. "I've litigated in practically every area of the law."
He is making his first run for office because he is "very concerned about judicial activism in our country and our state," he said. Judges have turned from their constitutional mandate of applying the law and begun to rewrite laws themselves.
"Judges are realizing that there's no effective check on their power," he said.
He cited the California judicial panel that ordered the phrase "Under God" be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Those judges were trying to supersede a 50-year-old act of Congress, he said.
If elected, he would hope to see N.C. judges become models of "judicial self-restraint," he said.
Judicial races this year are nonpartisan, meaning that candidates' political parties won't be listed on the ballot. But Newby said he is a Republican and is the only candidate in his race that has been endorsed by the N.C. Republican Party.
Newby was born in Asheboro in 1955 and grew up in Jamestown. After graduating from Ragsdale High School, he then went to Duke University, majoring in public policy studies, where he graduated magna cum laude. He then earned his law degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He practiced law in a private firm in Asheville and then worked as general counsel for a real estate development company before going to work for the federal government.
Newby is married to the former Macon Tucker of Wilson. They have four children ranging in ages from 8 to 15. Newby, an Eagle Scout, has been involved with the Boy Scouts with his sons and the YMCA Indian Princess Program with his daughters.
For more information, go to www.newbyforcourt.com.
The other candidates for the Orr seat are Ronnie Ansley, Rachel Lea Hunter, Howard Manning Jr., Betsy McCrodden, Fred Morrison Jr., Marvin Schiller and James A. Wynn Jr. The State Board of Elections has information on these candidates and other judicial races at www.sboe.state.nc.us.