North Carolina Republicans Want to Rig the System

Mike Morgan, an African-American judge, defeated a conservative incumbent last month for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Now conservative Republicans are trying to sabotage his election by packing the court, a move that would have racial and perhaps national political implications.

Although the court is officially nonpartisan, Morgan's surprise win means that four of the seven justices will be Democrats. The overwhelmingly Republican legislature and a lame-duck Republican governor who conceded defeat this week will go into a special session next week ostensibly to provide relief for hurricane victims. What they really want to do is quickly appoint and confirm two more justices to a court that has had seven members for 80 years.