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Wednesday, 27 April 2005 |
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L-r: Chris Heagarty , Justice Mark D. Martin; Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.; CED President Charles Kolb and Carroll Gray
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On April 27th, 2005, CED and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon discussion on the merits and prospects for North Carolina’s Judicial Campaign Reform Act. The meeting included a keynote presentation from Former Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., and a panel discussion, moderated by CED President Charles Kolb, featuring remarks from a number of key local leaders including:
- Justice Mark D. Martin, North Carolina Supreme Court
- Parks Helms, Chairman, Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners
- J. Christopher Heagarty, Executive Director, North Carolina Center for Voter Education
After a very successful introduction of the nation’s first publicly financed judicial elections, North Carolina stands as a state on the cutting edge of reform. With generous support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, CED has been working to educate the business community on the importance of supporting the NC Public Campaign Financing Fund. CED has been involved in the judicial reform area since the 2002 release of Justice for Hire: Improving Judicial Selection. The report contends that judicial elections undermine judicial independence and impartiality and dilute public confidence in state courts. Since the report’s release, CED has been working with numerous partners, including Justice at Stake, to increase national awareness of this issue. For more information, please contact Amy Morse at 202-296-5860 ext.29 or amy.morse@ced.org. |
