Former Bar Association leaders endorse Martin over Hunter for the N.C. Supreme Court
Andrea Weigl, Staff Writer
RALEIGH – Twenty-one former presidents of the N.C. Bar Association — in a rare showing of bipartisan support — are trying to prevent Durham lawyer Rachel Lea Hunter from being elected to the state Supreme Court.
The former Bar Association leaders wrote the state’s 18,400 lawyers this week, urging them to tell their friends and family to vote for incumbent Justice Mark Martin. Hunter, Martin’s challenger, is a Cary resident whose campaign tactics have drawn criticism.
State election officials rebuffed her attempt to get her nickname, "Madame Justice," on the ballot, saying it would mislead voters because she has never been a judge. Democratic Chairman Jerry Meek, the leader of Hunter’s own political party, criticized her for describing a black congressional candidate as a "slave" to the Republican Party. Former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith rebuked Hunter for claiming he supported her campaign.
Although judicial races in North Carolina are nonpartisan, Martin has secured these endorsements, as well as a support letter signed by all five former chief justices — three Democrats and two Republicans. Martin is a Republican. Hunter is a Democrat, but she was a Republican two years ago when she first ran for justice. (more…)
Raleigh, NC
