North Carolina legal leaders: Judges and the rule of law are under threat | Opinion

Today, we along with 63 other North Carolina justices, judges, and lawyers released a public statement entitled “The Rule of Law – Indispensable to Democracy” (link at bottom). We invite our fellow citizens to read it in full and to share it with family, friends, and neighbors.

Our signers represent the full range of the profession. We are former judges and state Supreme Court justices, civil and criminal litigators, corporate attorneys, government lawyers, academics, and leaders of professional organizations. We represent a broad spectrum of political and ideological perspectives and do not always agree.

But we are united in this belief: The rule of law and an independent judiciary must be fiercely — and vocally — protected.

Threats to the judiciary are not new. As Chief Justice John Roberts observed last December, attacks against judges have been increasing for years, too often resulting in tragedy—as in 2020, when the only child of a New Jersey federal judge was shot dead at the family’s home. Our state and local judges, including here in North Carolina, are no less at risk.

Physical threats are only part of the problem. Fueled by social media, meritless efforts to intimidate and discredit judges are also on the rise. Even some elected officials have accused judges of political bias or called for their impeachment because of a case’s outcome.

Some of us have called attention to these issue in years past. But over the last several months, threats and intimidation efforts have reached a frequency and decibel level that is unprecedented in modern memory. As they fulfill their constitutional duty by adjudicating challenges to policies implemented by the new presidential administration, judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans alike are facing an onslaught of physical threats and online attacks.

These attacks are deliberate, dangerous, and wrong and — in the words of Chief Justice Roberts — they must be vigorously opposed.

Challenging the legal merit of a court decision is, of course, proper and to be expected. And judges are not exempt from constitutionally protected criticism. But attacking judges personally or threatening to disregard their orders simply because of a case’s outcome erodes public confidence in our judicial system and can lead to yet more threats and violence. It is no surprise that judges themselves, a group generally not prone to public comment, are sounding the alarm.

In these polarized times, it can be tempting to view every issue through the lens of politics. We urge our fellow citizens to resist that impulse. No judge is immune from today’s threats, and no group wins when judges are intimidated. All of us —Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike—suffer when a judge must weigh the price of making the right decision. An independent judiciary, free of improper influence, is something every American can rally behind.

We know the rule of law can sometimes seem divorced from our everyday lives. But each of us enjoys its benefits every day. Embedded in the DNA of every new business endeavor, citizen complaint, or legal challenge is the confidence that the rules will be applied equally and fairly to all of us—not just the most vocal or the most powerful. Our system is by no means perfect, but it is the envy of the world and is only as strong as “We the People” make it.

Each of us has the opportunity every day to preserve the traditions that have served our state and country so well for almost 250 years. The rule of law is as much about civic habits as it is about the law itself. Simple acts like calling an elected representative or talking with a neighbor about the importance of protecting our judges against unfair attacks can make a difference. In an age when civics literacy is in decline, each of us can be a teacher.

Please read and share “The Rule of Law – Indispensable to Democracy.” Join us in standing up for our judges and the rule of law. Let’s take pride in the remarkable institutions prior generations have built and do our part to ensure that what is shocking today does not become the status quo tomorrow.

This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 9:31 AM with the headline "North Carolina legal leaders: Judges and the rule of law are under threat | Opinion."