Mitch Kokai: Looking back while looking toward new year’s political battles
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
that a court ruling is only as durable as the next election or the next justice’s mood. That may be true in practice, but treating it as normal is part of the problem. When judicial outcomes are framed as temporary “wins,” the public is taught to expect politics, not law.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
The N.C. Supreme Court delivered a recent legal victory to a Wake County town. But one justice’s commentary suggests the win could be short-lived.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
that a court ruling is only as durable as the next election or the next justice’s mood. That may be true in practice, but treating it as normal is part of the problem. When judicial outcomes are framed as temporary “wins,” the public is taught to expect politics, not law.
Conservatives should be honest about what’s at stake. Local governments need room to govern, but they also need predictable rules that don’t shift with every new majority. If a justice is signaling a reversal, the real question is whether the legal reasoning was sound or whether the court is drifting toward policy by robe.
The point isn’t to “like” this outcome or the next one. It’s to defend the rule of law, public trust, and institutional stability so North Carolinians aren’t forced to treat courts as just another political battleground.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.