N&O Chided For Ignoring GOP Women In Court Endorsement Article

By Carolina Journal Staff

A Republican member of the North Carolina Court of Appeals criticized major state newspapers Thursday for ignoring four women who serve on the state’s second-highest court.

An email from Judge April Wood included a news release highlighting “more than 60 years of judicial experience” Wood and fellow Judges Donna Stroud, Valerie Zachary, and Julee Flood bring to the Appeals Court. All four women are Republicans.

The release responded to an editorial appearing Thursday in the Raleigh News and Observer and Charlotte Observer. The editorial endorsed candidates for North Carolina’s four statewide appellate court races. In each case, the N&O and Charlotte Observer endorsed the Democratic candidate.

In an open Appeals Court contest between current Superior Court Judge Craig Collins, a Republican, and District Court Judge Christine Walczyk, a Democrat, the newspapers referenced that the winner would replace Judge Allegra Collins, a Democrat.

In the original version of the editorial, the newspapers suggested that a loss for Walczyk would leave the Appeals Court without a woman among its 15 members.

“That assertion is incorrect,” Wood wrote in her news release. “The four Republican women serving alongside Judge Collins deserve to have their service and contributions accurately recognized.”

“Their collective experience spans decades of service on the trial and appellate benches,” Wood added. “Judge Stroud served as a district court judge before joining the Court of Appeals, where she also served as chief judge. Judge Wood served 18 years as a district court judge before joining the appellate bench. These women bring substantial experience, distinct perspectives, and a shared responsibility to uphold the Constitution and apply the law fairly.”

“The newspapers are entitled to endorse the candidates of their choosing,” Wood wrote. “Their readers are entitled to an accurate account of the court’s membership. An endorsement should not erase the service of four women simply because they belong to a different political party.”

“Recognizing women’s contributions to the judiciary requires recognizing Republican women, too,” Wood added. “Their experience, leadership, and public service are no less meaningful because of their party affiliation.”

“The Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer should promptly correct the factual error and give that correction sufficient prominence to reach the readers who received the inaccurate information,” Wood wrote. “North Carolinians deserve an informed discussion about their courts — one that acknowledges all the women who serve.”

The newspapers altered the online editorial about the contest between Craig Collins and Walczyk.

“The winner fills the seat vacated by Democrat Allegra Collins, potentially leaving the court without a woman Democrat among its 15 justices,” according to the updated editorial. “We think that’s meaningful, and Walczyk has been an active advocate for women in the judiciary and legal community.”

Just below the endorsement of Walczyk, a correction noted that “an earlier version incorrectly stated … that Christine Walczyk would be the only woman on the Court of Appeals if she won. She would be the only Democratic woman.”