Why We're Backing Anita Earls for NC Supreme Court
This fall’s North Carolina Supreme Court election is one of the most important races in the state. As the Court has taken positions out of step with most of North Carolina on public education spending, partisan gerrymandering, and environmental regulations, it’s more important than ever that our justices are principled jurists who value the constitution above partisan considerations. Justice Anita Earls is that justice. We previously endorsed her in 2018 for her first full term, and are strongly endorsing her once again.
Even before joining the court, Earls spent her career fighting for justice for working-class North Carolinians. She founded the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which has argued multiple cases about voting rights and suppression, to hold polluters like Chemours accountable and to advocate for a fairer criminal justice system.
She has fought against gerrymandered maps to make sure that North Carolinians choose their representatives, not the other way around. She’s dissented when the court has reversed previous gerrymandering rulings in order to push a partisan agenda. She litigated Covington v. North Carolina, a case that ultimately found that North Carolina had used redistricting to weaken Black voters’ influence, a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Justice Earls has also fought against the weakening of the Voting Rights Act. After Shelby County v. Holder eliminated the requirement for federal preclearance, Earls sued to stop North Carolina’s House Bill 589, which included a variety of provisions intended to suppress the votes of racial minorities, including voter ID requirements, changes to early voting and registration, preregistration, and more. Now, in the wake of the Callais decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, Earls’ leadership on voting rights and voter access, especially as the only Black jurist on the court, is more important than ever.
In April 2026, the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed a 2022 ruling on public education funding known as the “Leandro case,” which had found that the state had a constitutional obligation to provide a sound, basic education to every North Carolina child. Earls dissented, calling the decision a “sad stain” on the Court’s reputation and arguing that the Court was giving up its authority to the legislature. She has also ruled on other issues affecting North Carolinians’ everyday lives: employment protections, the right to a fair trial, and compensation for injuries.
"It's more important than ever that we have a majority on the state Supreme Court that will protect the voting rights of all North Carolinians," said North Carolina AFL-CIO President Braxton Winston. “Justice Earls is a crucial part of the Court, and we are excited to send her back to the bench this fall.”
Justice Earls faces Republican representative and former Speaker Pro Tempore Sarah Stevens (House of Representatives District 90). North Carolina's General Election will be on Tuesday, November 3rd.