Chris Heagarty
Chris Heagarty
John Christopher "Chris" Heagarty has been described as a long-time player in North Carolina politics, and was appointed by Governor Beverly Perdue to serve in the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2009 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Rep. Ty Harrell, a fellow Democrat. Heagarty represented the 41st House district in western Wake County...
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Our research shows that the number-one reason why qualified voters don't go to the polls on Election Day is not that they don't care, but that folks simply don't know enough about the candidates. The State Judicial Voter Guide goes a long way to empower voters with the facts they need to cast a confident ballot.
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You don't have to be a celebrity. Even those of us who live a relatively simple life can make a real difference and improve our elections by saying yes to the Public Campaign Fund on our state income tax forms.
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Depending on how they turn out, you could see a dramatic shift in the experience, temperament and philosophy on the Supreme Court. The candidates in these races offer some very clear choices.
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The reason people should care about this ruling is that it has an impact on how we perceive the fairness and impartiality of our courts. Our research study from last year shows that while most voters have a fairly positive opinion about our judges, 86 percent of voters are concerned that large campaign contributions to judges can too often lead to conflicts of interest. Ninety-four percent, an overwhelming number, think that campaign contributions made to elected officials have an influence over their decisions. Fifty-seven percent think these contributions have a great deal of influence.
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There are judges at all levels who may face a situation where there is a potential conflict of interest, either a situation where an attorney presenting a case before them has given a large sum of money or where the judge, as a candidate, has made statements implying favor or bias for one side of a case over the other. Many judges will remove themselves from a case if a conflict is apparent, but there are no official standards. A conflict that one judge might step aside for, another judge might not see as a problem. Rather than a standard set of guidelines for everyone to use it really is, forgive the pun, a judgment call.