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Press Release
Reproductive Freedom for All Endorses Judge Anita Earls for North Carolina State Supreme Court Reelection
For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Reproductive Freedom for All Endorses Judge Anita Earls for North Carolina State Supreme Court Reelection
Washington, DC — Today, Reproductive Freedom for All announced its endorsement of Associate Justice Anita Earls for reelection to the North Carolina Supreme Court in the 2026 midterm election against Republican state Representative Sarah Stevens. Earls, a former civil rights attorney and longtime voting rights advocate, was first elected to the court in 2018.
Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:
“Amid escalating federal attacks, state supreme courts are on the front lines of defending fundamental freedoms. Reproductive Freedom for All is proud to endorse Justice Earls for re-election, and North Carolinians can count on her to protect their voice at the ballot box and ensure every community has a say in our democracy.”
Rep. Sarah Stevens was one of the architects behind North Carolina’s extreme abortion ban, which remains in effect today. She presented the bill and voted with her Republican colleagues to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, enacting it into law. Stevens has also voted against expanding Medicaid and said she supports defunding it, threatening North Carolinians’ access to health care.
The North Carolina Supreme Court currently has a 5-2 Republican majority, with Justice Earls as its only Black justice. Before joining the Court, Earls served in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and co-founded the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, a nonprofit legal advocacy group where she led major voting rights and redistricting challenges.
The state Supreme Court plays a decisive role in interpreting North Carolina’s constitutional protections, including reproductive freedom and voting rights. As North Carolina faces ongoing challenges to its electoral maps, this election could shape how those disputes are decided—and who represents North Carolinians in the years ahead.
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For over 55 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.