Newby seeks vaccine access for court system
RALEIGH (AP) North Carolina’s new chief justice says he’s asked Gov. Roy Cooper to consider getting COVID-19 vaccines more quickly to local court officials to meet a state constitutional requirement that “all courts shall be open.”
Speaking at Wednesday’s online installation ceremony for himself and two new justices, Chief Justice Paul Newby said “access to justice through the courts is not a luxury it’s a mandate.”
Newby, a Republican who as an associate justice narrowly defeated then-Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in November, said he’s communicated with Cooper to “enhance the availability of the vaccine to the courthouse personnel who bravely and I even say courageously open the courts to fulfill our constitutional mandate.”
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A virtual ceremony was held to install three Supreme Court justices on Jan 6, 2021.
An investiture ceremony in the Law and Justice Building in downtown Raleigh this morning concluded the installation of three North Carolina Supreme Court justices who won seats in the 2020 general election: Chief Justice Paul Newby and new associate justices Phil Berger, Jr. and Tamara Barringer.
Newby, the most senior member of the court, defeated his predecessor Cheri Beasley appointed by Gov. Cooper in 2019 by a margin of just 401 votes.
“By God’s grace, I hope to fulfill your trust in me,” Newby said in remarks in which he also stated that members of the judicial branch strive for “equal justice for all.”