Question: What early criticisms of the young North Carolina Supreme Court led to calls for popular election of its justices?
Answer: In the 1820s, the North Carolina Supreme Court faced fierce attacks for being elitist. Judges earned $2,500 annually (more than the governor’s $2,000), held lifetime tenure, and forced western lawyers into long, burdensome trips to Raleigh. Jacksonian Democrats and superior court judges, frustrated by the court’s reversals, demanded popular elections instead of legislative appointments.
