Protect Your Vote by Using It - Now
... by signing a petition to get an unaffiliated District Court Judge, Lora T. Baker, on the November ballot
What does the justice system in America look like? In my mind, I imagine a building with tall pillars, wide front steps, wrought-iron designs on the front doors, and high ceilings inside that make you speechless - like a bank building of the mid-1900’s in the town where I grew up.
The halls of justice!
For us voters, there’s a little bit of mystery about our court system. You don’t know much about the laws or how they influence your daily life. So you have to trust the judges and the courts to give you the best defense when you need it.
In America this doesn’t have to be blind trust. It doesn’t have to be just our luck, say, that a hostile viewpoint rules the Legislature and we’re done for. Here in North Carolina we can vote for the judges we want. But often we ignore them, even when we see their names on the ballot.
This is understandable. We may not know who they are or what they do; and they can’t break their pledge to be impartial, by telling us how they will make decisions.
But in election season what they can do, is to tell us their personal values. Then it’s up to us to listen, and to go vote.
A fact: in 2018 the NC Legislature made District and Superior Court judicial elections partisan. And in 2022,
Republicans won both seats on the Supreme Court and all four races for the Court of Appeals. As a result of these elections, Republicans hold a 5–2 majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court.
One of the strange outcomes of making judges’ elections partisan, is that an unaffiliated candidate has to gather voters’ signatures to qualify to appear on the ballot.
This is what Judge Lora T. Baker is doing now. Her district, District 42, includes Transylvania, Henderson and Polk Counties. At the end of this post, I’ll tell you how you can sign her petition.
We the people still have the power to vote. It’s worth our time to know the candidates, to mark a sample ballot, and take it to the polls. And after her petition is fulfilled, one of our District Court candidates will be Judge Lora Baker.
I asked Lora some questions and I’m grateful for her replies.
Q: Lora, was there a particular person in your life, or an experience you had, that inspired you to work in the justice system?
A: When I attended orientation at Chapel Hill for my undergraduate studies, my family and I went to the Morehead Planetarium where a mock trial competition was playing on the screen. My mother says she couldn’t make me look away. She knew then that I would one day be an attorney. That’s one reason I am helping judge our local high school mock trial competitions, to encourage positive exposure to the justice system.
Q: Do you base your judgments on certain values?
A: I value respect. I try to treat every person who comes before me with the same respect that I would expect if I were in that position. Every person comes into court with their own background and unique set of circumstances. Every person who comes into court has a matter that is incredibly important to them, and I want to give them an equal chance to be heard, whether they can afford an attorney or not.
I value the law. I have sworn to uphold the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of North Carolina. I don’t believe those are just words on a page that only apply when we want them to.
I value families. As a parent of two small children myself, I understand no two families look or act the same. I also know how hard it is to find childcare, to be both a present parent and a working parent at the same time, and the growing dangers facing children that did not have to be dealt with with when we were their age.
I value fairness. It is my goal to be as even-handed in judgments as possible. To apply the law the same way in similar fact situations, regardless of the person before me.
Q: Would you please describe the everyday issues you work with as District Court Judge, and how your values impact your decisions?
A: I hear family law cases (custody, alimony, child support, etc.), criminal cases (set bonds, sentence, review probation violations), domestic violence and no contact cases, child support, abuse/neglect/dependency cases, juvenile, and civil.
In most cases, you have to balance one interest against another. In abuse/neglect/dependency cases, it’s parental rights that must be balanced against the child’s right to safety and stability. In setting a bond in criminal cases, it’s the Defendant’s right to freedom measured against the risk of the Defendant not appearing at a later court date and any potential danger of release. It’s easy to have a knee-jerk reaction in these situations, and much harder to look beyond and see the bigger picture.
Q: Why are this year’s judicial elections so important?
A: I think judicial elections are always important. Even though most people will not walk into my courtroom as a named party, there’s a good chance you have a family member going through a contentious divorce, or a friend who’s having trouble with his neighbor. It matters if the person on the bench is patient and even-tempered; it matters if they have practiced in that area.
The judicial system has taken a beating lately. People have lost trust in judges and don’t value the Constitution as they once did. While people are not able to vote for Supreme Court Justices, they can vote for their local judges. Local judges impact your own community.
Q: Lora, what one thing would you most like voters to know about you?
A: I care about what I do and how it impacts those who appear before me. I want to make a difference in individual lives. I want to take a chance on people who might be able to redirect their lives in a positive way. I want to encourage people, especially young people, to make better decisions now so they don’t have regrets later.
Q: If you could do one thing, or go one place, on a two-week vacation, what would it be?
A: I have two young kids. There’s no better place in the world for us than Disney World.
Q: Do you have a book, podcast, op-ed writer, or video series to recommend?
A: I would like to say yes. However, between a new demanding job, trying to gather signatures for election, and being a mother, wife, daughter, and sister---I haven’t had a chance to read anything but statutes and case law!
I was able to participate in a local podcast last week, “Polk Lore”. The presenter is doing a series on unaffiliated candidates. [You can find the link to Lora’s interview at the end of this post in the notes.]
Q: What would you say to a young woman interested in working in the justice system?
A: Come to court. Our courts are generally open to the public. You can sit, watch and absorb what it is like to be a court actor. If that seems interesting, intern with a law office. As a private attorney, I loved showing high school and college students around the courtroom, introducing them to the court staff, and answering questions. Attorneys love to talk and give advice, so take advantage! There are opportunities now for high school mock trials, debate teams, etc., to see if you might like the field. There are so many more female attorneys now than there were when I first started. We have two female judges (myself included), as well as prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, and bailiffs.
Q: As a District Court judge, do you find that the NC Legislature’s new laws affect the cases you’re seeing come before you in Transylvania, Polk and Henderson Counties, all mostly rural and in WNC?
A: I am unable to comment on that, since an issue may come before me in the courtroom.
Q: What would you most like local volunteers to do to help with your campaign?
A: We need signatures, signatures, signatures - just to make it on the ballot. If you ask your families, friends, and neighbors to sign, that would be amazing. Your signatures will give me a chance to be the ballot in November. If I don’t make it on the ballot, the only option voters will have is the Republican candidate. By signing my petition, you aren’t promising to vote for me (although that would be great too!), you are just giving me the opportunity to appear on the ballot, and you’re giving voters a choice in November.
Q: Finally, how can voters in Transylvania, Polk and Henderson Counties sign your petition to be on the ballot?
A: We have several locations for petition drop-off, or for signing one, throughout the counties. You can download a petition from my Facebook page “Baker on the Bench” or you can message or email me and I’ll be happy to send you one. [Lora’s contact information is in the notes below.]
Thank you, Judge Baker!
It’s only by using our free and fair right to vote - for example, starting now with our signature on a petition - that we can we help bring balance back to the NC judicial system.
This was extremely helpful Deda!
Thank you!
Thanks, Deda. Interesting that Campbell University is Baptist affiliated. She is open-minded, it sounds like. Breath of fresh air in these difficult days.