Non-profit groups push for fair courts

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – Several groups coming together in downtown Wilmington Thursday to demand changes within North Carolina’s judicial system.

Fair Courts NC is on a mission to change the state’s courts free of partisanship.

The coalition planned a tour, and stopped in cities around the state, to push their campaign to restore trust in courts by changing legislation.

Their focus is to allow judges to run for elections as independent or make judicial elections non-partisan, as well as ban judges from partisan from endorsing and fundraising for other candidates, not on the ballot.

The non-profit also wants to establish clear ethics rules which would ban judges from taking on cases involving friends and family members.

According to the North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections Executive Director Melissa Price Kromm, the court system was different in the past.

“We can just get back to non-partisan elections, this used to be the norm our judges don’t wear red robes or blue robes because they are there to pull the rule of law,” she said. “Bottom line, we are advocating for fair impartial, and independent state courts.”

Thursday’s event was the last of several stops the group made across the state.

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