FLIP NC is returning from an extended hiatus with a big announcement: We’re back, and we’re focused on the courts!

Last year, Republicans took over our State Supreme Court, flipping it from a slight (4-3) Democratic majority to a significant (5-2) Republican majority. In an unprecedented move, the court has used its new majority to rehear settled cases, overturning a recent State Supreme Court ruling against extreme partisan gerrymandering and allowing Republicans to redraw North Carolina’s congressional and legislative maps to their extreme partisan advantage; overturning a ruling against discriminatory voter ID laws; and agreeing to rehear landmark education case Leandro next month in a move that could further devastate public education in North Carolina after years of its race to the bottom in school spending and as pandemic education funding sunsets later this year.

*Chief Justice Paul Newby, who has used his power to engage in unprecedented attacks and power grabs*

The Court is now headed by Republican Paul Newby, who won his seat in 2020 by just 401 votes (out of 5.4 million votes cast). Newby has used his position to target and intimidate any judge he sees as a threat to his right-wing agenda, initiating disciplinary action (now dismissed) against Justice Anita Earls for acknowledging the existence of racial bias and demoting a more moderate Republican from chief of the Court of Appeals after she supported a Democrat for a clerk position. Newby, a “conservative” who has ruled in favor of corporations 89% of the time since his election, is intent on restructuring the system to concentrate power in his own hands – in secret whenever possible – by bulldozing judicial norms, systems, and conventions.

The highest court in the state is intended to serve as a check on the state legislature, striking down unconstitutional laws, guaranteeing free and fair elections, and ensuring that the NCGA performs its constitutional duties. Instead, the Newby-led Court is not only shirking its responsibility to protect the people of North Carolina but is working as right-wing lawmakers’ accomplice, aiding their unconstitutional power grabs and enacting their agenda for partisan gain.

We must stop the right-wing takeover of our courts and protect the rights of North Carolinians.

Why FLIP NC is Pivoting

When we started, FLIP NC filled a gap. We plan to do the same in 2024.

In early 2017, when we launched FLIP NC, we were a group of friends horrified by our state and national politics and looking for a way to make a difference. With so much at stake and limited time, we knew we would need to focus on a specific goal and a plan that was strategic, actionable, and measurable.

At the time, Republicans had taken control of the NC state legislature (the NCGA) with a small majority, used it to heavily gerrymander NC’s legislative and congressional maps (over which the governor has no veto power), gained a legislative supermajority, and then spent the next half-decade passing a slew of harmful, regressive legislation. Despite public outcry and the rise of Moral Mondays, North Carolinians at large had limited awareness of the NCGA’s impact on our day-to-day lives and the harm the GOP was causing. Republicans with extreme, right-wing voting records were running on misleading, moderate platforms and winning in purple districts because left-leaning voters were staying home – or simply not voting the full ballot.

*FLIP NC cofounders Bri and Amy canvassing with volunteers Bob and Phyllis*

FLIP NC set out to change that. We began year-round, direct voter outreach focused on critical legislative districts, expanding our reach as our volunteer base grew. In 2018, our work was critical to flipping at least three legislative seats. In 2020, we made hundreds of thousands of phone calls to left-leaning voters and sent 1.4 million texts, turning out thousands of additional left-leaning voters statewide.

At the same time, other groups and organizations were growing support for Democrats in state legislative races. Today, efforts to support progressive candidates in legislative races are no less critical, but the landscape on the left is very different. A number of organizations are running year-round, direct voter outreach across the state; a Democrat is running in nearly every legislative race in 2024, thanks to our incredible new state party leadership; and there are myriad effective ways volunteers can help to elect Democrats in critical races. This is no longer a gap waiting to be filled.

For more on how to continue supporting critical state legislative races in 2024, see our post How to Support Critical Legislative Districts in 2024.

All Eyes on the Court

Now, our courts are in a similar place: They’ve been taken over by the extreme right, they’re hurting everyday North Carolinians, and there is a dearth of voter outreach to support critical judicial races and a general lack of understanding of their impact on our lives and the future of our state.

Only two Democrats currently sit on the State Supreme Court: civil rights attorneys Allison Riggs and Anita Earls. Justice Riggs’ seat is the only seat up for election this year, and it’s critical that we protect it. Justice Earls’ seat is up in 2026, and that, too, will be a critical election. In 2028, we’ll have the opportunity to take back the Court before legislative and congressional maps are again redrawn in 2030. This is our one shot in the near future to end gerrymandering in our state.

Three Court of Appeals seats will also be up for election this year, and we need to help ensure Democrats get elected to these seats. The role of the Court of Appeals is to decide if a trial court correctly applied the law or if there was a prejudicial error in the conduct of the trial. For more about the NC Court landscape, see our post The Power of the NC Courts.

Expanding Our Impact

In 2024, we’re returning to our roots with an updated version of the highly effective voter outreach plan we developed for the 2018 election. We’ll be knocking doors, dropping lit, and texting information about voting to left-leaning voters across the state.

While our voter outreach will focus primarily on the courts, our ultimate goal, as always, is to restore checks and balances and bring true, progressive representation to our state. That means we must break the Republican supermajority, and we must elect another Democratic governor who will use his power to veto harmful legislation. Shifting our geographic focus from a limited number of districts to the state as a whole will also provide more opportunities to turn out left-leaning voters for governor and other critical races, especially in blue areas where we left many votes on the table in 2020.

*FLIP NC’s first launch party at Motorco in Durham*

On Sunday, Feb. 25, we will host our 2024 Launch Party at Motorco in Durham (admission is free, but advance registration is required). State Supreme Court Justices Anita Earls and Allison Riggs will join us to talk about the importance of the courts, and we’ll share our plans and strategy for 2024 and how you can get involved.

We hope to see you there, and we hope you will join us in 2024!
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