North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Anita S. Earls took legal steps accusing the state’s Judicial Standards Commission of violating her constitutional right to engage in political speech. Earls outlined this assertion in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, where she argues against the commission’s investigation into her remarks concerning a lack of diversity within the state’s courts.
According to the allegations, Earls asserts that the First Amendment prevents the commission, as an apparatus of the state, from hindering or chilling free speech. This encompasses what she refers to as “core political speech” from an elected Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
The commission had previously notified Earls of its intention to conduct an inquiry into her comments. However, through this legal action, Earls appears intent on preserving her right to express opinions on topics she considers to be of political importance, particularly highlighting issues of diversity in the judicial landscape.
Details and docket tracking information about the lawsuit can be found here, under the reference No. 23-cv-00734, M.D.N.C.
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