Judicial Candidates Emphasize Need for Integrity

Judges Anne Marie Calabria and Eric Levinson, both Republican candidates for the N.C. Court of Appeals, participated in the forum as part of Honor and Integrity Week, a five-day event sponsored by the judicial branch of student government.

The forum, which took place in 111 Carroll Hall, was sponsored by UNC law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and the UNC College Republicans as part of Honor and Integrity Week.

The two candidates spoke to about 40 students interested in pursuing careers in law to emphasize the importance of honor and integrity in the courtroom.

Calabria, who has practiced law for 20 years and served as a judge for almost six years, emphasized the importance of morality in the court. "If you have to appear in court, we admire people who tell the truth," she said.

Lying in court will not help a defendant, Calabria argued. "(Judges) can tell most of the time who is telling the truth," she said.

Calabria then offered a practical example related to drunken driving to illustrate how telling the truth can help people appearing in court.

She said that in Wake County, first-time offenders who are tried for underage drinking can take part in a Diversion Program. Teens can eliminate the drunken driving charge from their records if they take classes in the program.

But to participate in this program, the accused must tell the truth by pleading guilty and then willingly enroll, Calabria said.

If the accused lies by denying the drunken driving accusation and then is proved guilty, he will not be able to participate in the Diversion Program.

Levinson, a 1992 graduate of the UNC School of Law and a former prosecutor, discussed the importance of honesty and integrity when serving as a judge.

Levinson's motto, which he claims to have posted all over his office, is, "Never compromise your integrity." He said he must make an effort to apply this motto to his career by defining "how far (he) will go to get what (he) wants."

When running in the primary election for the N.C. Court of Appeals, Levinson said he maintained his integrity by writing out specifically what he would and would not be willing to address in his campaign.

Levinson emphasized the importance of reputation for judges and lawyers. He stressed it is more important for one to maintain his reputation than win a case.

"Winning at all costs doesn't matter," he said. "You have to be willing to lose."

Levinson also stressed the difficulty of ensuring that, while campaigning, a judge's role as an officer of the court and a politician do not conflict.

Unlike other politicians, the N.C. judicial code prevents judges from stating their political beliefs, making campaigning difficult.

In making their political views public, judges would be classifying themselves as biased on certain issues and thus would threaten the integrity of the court system.

Levinson concluded his speech by advising future judges in the audience on how to maintain integrity in their careers. He said that to maintain integrity, judges must keep a professional distance between the other people involved in the case, admit when a decision is difficult and not look for public approval in their decisions.

The most important thing a judge can do is to always respect what is morally correct in the courtroom, Levinson said.

"Just because you think you can get away with it isn't a reason to do something dishonest."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.