Opinion: In the midst of elections, the ball is in your court

The potential for an ideologically bent United States Supreme Court has become a rallying point for presidential campaigns and their supporters. And in North Carolina, the battles over House Bill 2 and voter-identification laws have mostly been fought through court systems.

Given some of these positions are appointed for life, judges are a major part of an outgoing president’s legacy. And even when elected, their time in power can forever change a state for the better or the worse.

The court system is a large part of the checks and balances that keep our nation running, and it deserves more attention from the public since significant civil rights advancements and failures have come from all levels of the system.

Pivotal court decisions ranging from Roe v. Wade to the recent repeal of North Carolina’s recent voter ID law demonstrate the necessity of a balanced and competent court system.

While the aforementioned court cases were important, the United States’ and North Carolina’s judicial systems would not be what they are today without historically unjust cases that spurred several crucial social movements.

Federal, state and local judicial systems are the teeth of the legal system, and they ideally protect minority voices from the tyranny of the majority.

The only reason North Carolina was not one of the last states to recognize marriage equality was because of a circuit court ruling.

Civic engagement is necessary to avoid the darker sides of courts.

North Carolina is one of 16 states that allows the democratic, nonpartisan election of state judges. The election makes it even harder to determine a candidate’s position from the ballot box.

Many voters and members of this board have stood at the polling station, not knowing one judge from another. That is not okay.

This board always encourages informed voting, and the practice takes on new meaning in this context given the power courts hold.

All students and community members ought to research each judicial candidate’s values and ideologies before electing someone to the court. And when judges are not elected, it is equally important to pressure politicians to spell out what they are looking for in a potential judge.

Courts exist to keep the legislative branches in check, but all that relies on a knowledgeable and vigilant population holding them (and those that appoint them) accountable.

If you find yourself in court, ignorance is not a defense. It shouldn’t be in the ballot box either.