Remarks of Anita Earls on Election Results for North Carolina Supreme Court

Thank you! What an incredible honor it is to stand before you as your next Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. First, I would like to thank all of you for your support. This would not have been possible without each of you. I am especially grateful to my husband Charles and my sons Dylan and Chad for their unwavering love and support this past year. Next, I’d like to thank my amazing staff Caroline, Jackie and JuJu, and to every volunteer who gave generously of your time to work with us, thank you.

I would like to also thank Justice Barbara Jackson and Chris Anglin for engaging in a healthy debate with me about our state’s democracy, the role of the judiciary, and our views on the path forward for North Carolina.

When we set out on this journey 12 months ago, we were clear about our vision: we stand for an independent and fair court that applies the law equally to everyone. I am confident that our clarity and your commitment carried us to this victory.

It is important to remember that when we launched this campaign, we faced a huge uphill battle. Nothing was certain; we didn’t even know who was in the race until the end of July. Litigation over one of the five laws passed to prevent what happened tonight kept us guessing what the ballot might look like until just ten weeks ago. It was your faith in what we could accomplish together, your steadfast commitment and hard work, that got us to this moment. We faced long odds together with the conviction that voters would hear our positive message, share our values and be moved to support us.

It is no exaggeration to say that at this moment our democracy is in peril. We have a president who believes he can, by executive order, erase the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution; and we have misguided partisans in our state who believe that they should impeach justices who don’t rule in their favor.

By working together over the past year, we have shown that we can stand up for the importance of an independent judiciary, stand up for the principle that no one is above the law, and stand up for the importance of the people’s right to vote.

We can protect our democracy by our hard work, by our commitment to each other, and by letting our voices be heard at the ballot box.

Tonight we celebrate, but in the coming days we must continue to work for equal justice under law. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

I promise to you, once I am sworn in as the 100th Justice to serve on the North Carolina Supreme Court, I will endeavor to the best of my abilities to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and the State of North Carolina. I promise to apply the law fairly and equally to everyone, no matter their race or how much money they have in their pocket. And I promise to resist partisan attacks on the judicial branch--which must remain independent and impartial in order for our democracy to succeed and thrive.

I am so humbled to be able to join you in the continuing charge for a better North Carolina. Thank you for believing in the possibility that a civil rights attorney can run a statewide campaign and win the trust of voters to sit on the highest court. Thank you for believing in our vision. Thank you for believing that you can make a difference, because you have.

Thank you and let's move forward without fear or favor!