REPORT RELEASE: WORKERS AND CONSUMERS FARE BETTER WITH DEMOCRATIC JUDGES ON THE NC COURT OF APPEALS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2024
Greensboro, NC—Today, People’s Parity Project Action released new research showing how often judges on the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled for corporations over workers or consumers since 2021. Republicans control 11 of 15 seats on the court, and most of these judges—including high court candidate Jefferson Griffin—have used their position on the bench to consistently side with corporations and against injured workers.
This study looks at every ruling since January 2021 in which an injured or wronged person was on one side and a corporation, employer, or healthcare provider was on the other. Panels with a Democratic majority only ruled for corporations in 43 percent of the cases, while panels with a GOP majority ruled for them 57 percent of the time. Overall, the Court of Appeals ruled against injured people in 55 percent of the 245 cases.*
The report also lays out the stakes in this year’s appellate court elections, with a particular focus on Judge Griffin’s rulings that protected the bottom line at the expense of workers or consumers.
Following the release of the report, PPP Action’s State Courts Manager Billy Corriher released this statement:
“These judges are so important. For most workers who face off against their employers in North Carolina, attempting to find justice after being wronged, the judges on the Court of Appeals get the last word. This means that the Court of Appeals has the final say on issues affecting the lives of thousands of North Carolinians.
“These findings make clear which judges tend to send more with corporations than injured workers. We now know that most Republican judges on the Court of Appeals are more likely to use their position to defend the bottom line of corporations, rather than the rights of working people. This is critical information for the voters in North Carolina to have as they decide who deserves to sit on the state’s Supreme Court.
“North Carolina voters should support judges that protect the rights of the people, not powerful corporations.”
* While significant, this isn’t as pronounced of a pro-corporate bias as at the state Supreme Court, where PPP Action’s previous research found that three Republican justices had heavily favored corporations from 2021–2022. This is likely due to the fact that the Court of Appeals hears a significant number of mandatory appeals, giving it far less discretion over its caseload. At the high court, the pro-corporate Republican majority sets the agenda and chooses which cases to hear.
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People’s Parity Project Action is a nationwide movement of law students and attorneys organizing for a legal system that serves as a force for justice for working people. Through organizing, policy innovation, political education, community building, and advocacy, we aim to take back a legal system dominated by corporate influence and transform it into a true justice system. Learn more: https://peoplesparityaction.org/about/.