Rachel Lea Hunter

Quick Hits

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:23:41 -0400

* Former judicial candidate Rachel Lea Hunter could lose her law license for continuing to use the nickname "Madame Justice" on her Web site.

* Conservative blogger Chris Hayes notes that the top five in that poll of CEOs of best business states are all anti-union.

* The Charlotte Observer's Jack Betts says U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan's panel to screen federal judicial candidates as a change from the past.

* Public Policy Polling finds President Obama's approval/disapproval at 53/40 in North Carolina; Hagan's at 36/34.

McCullough won't face punishment

bniolet — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:55:56 -0500

The N.C. Judicial Standards Commission will not punish N.C. Appeals Court Judge Doug McCullough for his partisan comments during a speech in Haywood County.

Paul Ross, executive director of the commission, said in a letter that the commission has made “an effort to ensure such conduct is not repeated” by McCullough, a Republican who is seeking reelection, Titan Barksdale reports.

In his speech last month, McCullough, a Republican, implied that party politics and a party’s agenda can influence how an appellate judge decides a case. The commission was responding to a complaint filed by the husband of Rachel Lea Hunter, a lawyer planning to run against McCullough.

More after the jump.

A previous version of this post gave an incorrect title for Paul Ross. The post has been corrected.

Ethics complaint filed against McCullough

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:52:12 -0500

A complaint was sent Wednesday to the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission saying that N.C. Appeals Court Judge Doug McCullough violated ethics rules during a speech in Haywood County last month, Titan Barksdale reports.

Connie Mack Berry Jr., husband of Rachel Lea Hunter, said he mailed the complaint to the commission. Hunter—an often controversial Raleigh lawyer—is planning to run against McCullough for his seat, Titan Barksdale reports.

McCullough, a Republican, gave partisan comments to Haywood County voters though judicial elections are non-partisan. He also suggested that politics can effect the rulings on cases.

Berry charges that McCullough violated ethical rules that say a judge should uphold the judiciary's integrity and remain unswayed by partisan interests.

More after the jump.