RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina voters will decide this fall whether to change the way trial and appellate court vacancies are filled.
With a final House vote Thursday, the General Assembly agreed to submit to voters a proposed amendment to the North Carolina Constitution. It’s the fourth constitutional referendum added to the November ballot.
Currently the governor essentially chooses all judicial candidates and is not required to listen to recommendations. The proposed system would create nonpartisan “judicial merit” commissions to evaluate nominees for certain seats and send them to the General Assembly. The legislature would approve at least two of those nominees, from which the governor would choose one.
Republicans say the change promotes transparency, but Democrats who opposed it say it’s shifting power away from the governor to the General Assembly.
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