
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 21, 1994                    TAG: 9406210342 
SECTION: LOCAL                     PAGE: B8    EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA  
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: 940621                                 LENGTH: RALEIGH

N.C. JUDICIAL ELECTIONS GET GREEN LIGHT

{LEAD} North Carolina will proceed with judicial elections this fall after an opinion regarding Superior Court elections handed down on Monday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court in Richmond, Va., modified the ruling of a U.S. District Court that had previously issued a preliminary injunction. That injunction had ordered the winner of district-wide elections to be the winner of the whole election.

{REST} Instead, the appeals court said the prevailing winner must win statewide, districtwide and divisionwide. If no candidate wins by all three tallying methods, the sitting judge will be held over until the matter is resolved at trial.

``The court agrees that our judicial system must continue uninterrupted while this case goes to trial,'' state Attorney General Michael Easley said in a prepared statement. ``We believe this system is fair. It has served the needs of North Carolina citizens for more than 100 years.''

The ruling was issued in the case called Republican Party of North Carolina v. Hunt.

State GOP Chairman Jack Hawke said Monday afternoon that he didn't think the issue would be settled until it reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Until then, it would take a change in voter attitude, he added.

{KEYWORDS} JUDICIAL ELECTIONS APPEAL NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT by CNB