"Colleagues Launch Disciplinary Probe after Black Judge Advocates for Diversity"
Justice Anita Earls, the only Black justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, is facing a disciplinary probe launched by her Republican colleagues after she discussed the importance of diversity in the justice system and criticized the conservative majority's loyalty to the conservative legal movement. The probe is seen as an attempt to silence her and undermine her free speech rights. Justice Earls has filed with federal courts to protect her First Amendment rights, but the case is not going well. The probe and the remarks made by Judge William Osteen Jr. demonstrate a lack of seriousness and a disregard for the constitutional implications of targeting protected speech.