Judicial Watch: Cooper Appoints Beasley Chief Justice

Last week, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Cheri Beasley as the new Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Cooper named Beasley, a sitting Associate Justice, to replace retiring Chief Justice Mark Martin. Beasley has served as a member of the Court since 2012, and previously served on the state Court of Appeals, preceded by service as a District Court judge. When she takes office March 1, Beasley will be the first African-American woman to serve as our state’s Chief Justice.

Beasley indicated that she will run for election to a full eight-year term as Chief Justice when the temporary appointment expires next year. Martin’s retirement and Beasley’s appointment further shift the party makeup of the Court, which is now five Democrats and one Republican. Cooper’s replacement for Beasley will determine whether the balance goes to 6-1 or returns to 5-2.

Elections for Court of Appeals and Supreme Court seats were made non-partisan in 2004. However, the Republican-controlled state legislature and governor returned those to partisan elections by legislation approved in 2016. Their move backfired in 2018, when statewide voters elected the Democratic candidate for Supreme Court, Anita Earls.

Makeup of the state Supreme Court has proved critical to its adjudication of environmental policy disputes over interpretations of state law. A 2014 study found the then-Republican dominated Court to be a “virtual sinkhole” for environmental law on both air and water pollution matters. Environmental advocates closely follow judicial candidates’ tendencies, as expressed through their judgments and written opinions on key environmental law cases.

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