By Frederick Holl
A few days after our nation honored the sacrifice of fallen service members on Memorial Day, a group of military veterans gathered at American Legion Post 6 in rural Orange County to hear from candidates for the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Only one of them bothered to show up.
Justice Anita Earls, the incumbent in the race, spent more than an hour answering questions from the event’s moderators–two veterans themselves–and veterans in the audience. After the long discussion, she hung around posing for questions and having detailed individual conversations.
Representative Sarah Stevens, Earls’ challenger, apparently wasn’t interested in hearing what the assembled veterans had to say.
Public polling shows that the vast majority of North Carolinians have no idea who Stevens is, but her no-show at the event follows a pattern of minimal campaigning from Stevens. She has consistently refused to answer questions from voters outside the friendly confines of invite-only political party meetings.
Among the conversation topics Stevens missed were military veterans’ eroding First Amendment rights–Earls reassured veterans concerned about their rights, telling them, “If you stand up for what you believe in and you are attacked for it, other people will come and stand with you.”
Stevens also missed the opportunity to discuss the threat posed to voting rights for active-duty military stationed overseas during Judge Jefferson Griffin’s ultimately unsuccessful effort to overturn the results of the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election.
Earls said Griffin’s effort “violated due process” because the service members followed the instructions they were given at the time, including by using their military ID to prove their identity while voting.
And Stevens’ refusal to attend cost her an opportunity to discuss ways that access to legal advice and representation can be expanded so more service members can get the help they need navigating legal issues.
Earls highlighted her longtime support for legal aid programs, some of which have dedicated resources for military service members and veterans. Earls noted that veterans and active duty service members often need help navigating issues with their benefits.
