NC Sen. Hagan drops backing for judge

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan has withdrawn her support for a possible lifetime federal appointment for a state judge who ruled in favor of a company that includes Hagan's husband. The Greensboro News & Record reported Thursday that Hagan three weeks ago recommended Superior Court Judge Calvin Murphy to fill a vacant seat on the U.S. District Court for Western North Carolina. Nine days later, Murphy signed a ruling favoring the owners of five small hydroelectric plants on the Deep River, one of them belonging to Hydrodyne Industries. That company lists Hagan's husband as a managing member. The first-term Democratic senator said she didn't know Murphy had ruled in a case in which her husband had a stake until the newspaper asked her to comment. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)