Newby. “My mom was a school teacher, my dad was an hourly worker. When I went to work, I was shocked. My parents couldn’t have paid any of the legal bills I would’ve sent out there to my clients.” Finding better ways to serve existing needs is critical, he said. “It’s an opportunity for us to remember the nobility of our profession — our calling to protect fundamental rights and freedoms to help people truly exercise and enjoy the rights of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Newby said. “Every lawyer who practices is involved in that. As I give oaths to new attorneys, I emphasized the high calling, and I think that part of being a chief justice is to inspire folks to do better.” Chief Justice Cheri Beasley isn’t even Newby’s biggest obstacle to victory — both
candidates have to focus on educating voters as to the existence of judicial races. Called “downcard” races because they usually appear at the bottom of the ballot, they don’t get nearly as much attention as more high-profile legislative races. Additionally, judges can’t campaign like legislators, who opine on all manner of issues. That makes it difficult for judicial candidates to annunciate their legal viewpoints. Since it’s a partisan election, voters can gain some insight into who, exactly, they are voting for even if they’re not familiar with the candidates, but that can sometimes be a double-edged sword; as with other 2020 races, results will no doubt be influenced by the popularity (or lack thereof ) of the country’s top Republican,
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President Donald Trump. Still, casting an informed vote in judicial races is of the utmost import, according to Newby. “Electing the wrong judges could mean that the judges would not only tell you what a statute means, they could reinterpret it to say, ‘This is what we want it to mean, so we’re ruling this way,’” Newby said. “People can vote for judges that are more activist in philosophy, or they can vote for those who truly believe in judicial self restraint. Being informed about judicial philosophy is vital in casting an informed vote for judges, and truly, it is our responsibility to be sure that citizens who respect the separation of powers and who understand the limited role of the judicial branch are elected as judges.”
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revoked for the inability to pay fines or show up for court. These clinics provide more localized access for people who often can’t get to courthouses or who are unfamiliar with navigating their bureaucracies. Beasley also highlighted another major issue facing every county in North Carolina, the opioid crisis. By expanding the availability of recovery courts in each county, Beasley says, the court system can also be a part of the road to recovery out of this public health crisis. Similar to the School Justice partnership and the Faith Justice Partnership, the drug (or recovery) courts are a partnership between health Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts introduces North care, rehabilitaCarolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley tion systems last week before she spoke to Haywood Democrats. and the court system. Donated photo Recovery courts are a separate court where instead of simply portation nonexistent. imprisoning people with addiction, the Beasley fed off the enthusiasm shown to court works collaboratively with treatment her by the Democratic party in their headproviders, social services and mental health quarters. She ended her speech by remindspecialists to benefit the participant. This ing attendees not to forget the judges when not only reduces crime, but, more importhey went to the ballot box and asked that tantly, effects real change in the lives of Haywood citizens let her know if she can be addicts. of service.
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November 6-12, 2019
BY HANNAH MCLEOD CONTRIBUTING WRITER he small room of the Democratic headquarters for Haywood County was packed Oct. 31 for a speech by the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Cheri Beasley. Beasley has served on the N.C. Supreme Court since 2012 and was appointed as chief justice by Gov. Roy Cooper in March 2019. She is seeking re-election in 2020. This year marks the 200th year of the North Carolina court, and to mark the occasion Beasley and the other justices on the bench are holding court around the state. This accessibility fits in well with the vision Beasley has for the future of the North Carolina court system. In the bulk of her speech to Democrats of Haywood County, Beasley outlined initiatives she is seeking to implement into the court system. The School Justice Partnership is an effort on the part of school systems and the court system to reduce the number of suspensions, expulsions and referrals to the justice system. This is a vital component to North Carolina’s Raise the Age Legislation. North Carolina was the last state to mandate that 16- and 17-year-olds will not be automatically charged as adults. Early results of increasing communication and awareness between schools and courts show significant decreases in referrals to juvenile court as well as increases in graduation rates. Another important aspect of increasing access to the courts that Beasley supports is the Faith Justice Partnership. This program brings faith and justice leaders together to use houses of worship, often vacant for many days throughout the week, to host driver’s license restoration clinics and expungement clinics. These are both technicalities that people fall behind on, which can lead to an accumulation of unnecessary fees. More than one million North Carolinians have had their driver’s licenses
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N.C. Chief Justice Beasley speaks in Haywood
Another way Beasley intends to make the courts more accessible to more people is by modernizing technology. Updating software will make work easier and more efficient for court workers, as well as more available to those moving through the court system. In a day and age when people can pay utility bills and nearly everything else online, Beasley thinks residents should be able to pay civil court costs online too. This will especially make a difference to citizens in rural communities, where the courthouse can be several miles away and public trans-
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