Gov. Roy Cooper vetoes bill to make judicial races partisan
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on March 16, 2017 4:44 PM
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Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that would allow for judicial elections to be made partisan this afternoon.
The bill would change the ballot to show which party candidates for Superior and District court races were affiliated.
"North Carolina wants its judges to be fair and impartial, and partisan politics has no place on the judges' bench," said Cooper's letter addressing his objections to the bill.
"Judges make tough decisions on child abuse, divorce, property disputes, drunk driving, domestic violence and other issues that should be free from politics."
In 1996, Cooper helped push through legislation that made most trial-judge elections non-partisan on the ballot.
Cooper said the bill that was sent to his desk "reverses that progress" and judges should be elected "based on their experience and ability to do the job, not which party they pick."
The bill cleared the General Assembly along party lines by veto-proof margins earlier this month.