NC Supreme Court candidate sues over party label
North Carolina Supreme Court Candidate Chris Anglin filed a lawsuit Monday morning, challenging the lawmakers' effort to misrepresent him on the ballot, according to his lawyer.
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North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Chris Anglin filed a lawsuit against the Republican leadership of the General Assembly on Monday, accusing them of trying to misrepresent him on the ballot, according to his lawyer.
Republican leaders are concerned that Anglin, who is running as a Republican but is a former Democrat, could siphon votes away from incumbent Republican Justice Barbara Jackson, who's facing a tough re-election battle against Democratic challenger Anita Earls.
Senate Bill 3 would remove the Republican party label from Anglin's name on the ballot, as well as from three other candidates for lower court seats who hadn't been registered with their current party for at least 90 days when they filed.
“I didn’t make, break or change the rules, just followed them. Even children understand changing the rules in the middle of an election is wrong. What the Legislature has done is a violation of my Constitutional rights. This lawsuit is the next step in my fight to stand up for an independent judiciary,” Anglin said in a press release.
On Monday state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, responded to the suit through spokesman Bill D'Elia, who said in a statement: “Candidates for office shouldn’t be permitted to switch party affiliation at the last possible minute. The most obvious reason for doing so is to split the vote from one party to benefit the other party, and that type of shenanigans – from Democrats or Republicans – has no place in our state.”
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