(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . NC Supreme Court justice says he’ll step down next month. Here’s what we know. [1] ['Ethan Hyman'] Date: 2023-08 Associate Justice Michael Morgan listens during oral arguments at the Supreme Court of North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 9, 2022. ehyman@newsobserver.com North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan will step down from his position next month, before the official conclusion of his term, to leave the court “in the best possible position,” he told The News & Observer. In a phone interview Thursday, Morgan elaborated on an earlier Twitter announcement that he plans to depart during the week of Sept. 4. “With the help of my outstanding staff, all of my opinions & assignments have been completed as the Court acts on them and concludes its current cycle in the coming days,” Morgan wrote. Morgan, a North Carolina native who spent most of his childhood in New Bern, has served for more than three decades in the state’s judicial branch. He was an administrative law judge, a Wake County District Court judge and a Superior Court judge before joining the state Supreme Court in 2016. The 67-year-old announced in May that he would not seek reelection to the court. In June, Morgan told NC Insider — The News & Observer’s state government news service — that he was investigating the merits of a run for governor. His candidacy in the gubernatorial race would strengthen the Democratic Party’s chances in a state dominated by Republican politics, Morgan said at the time. But he would not confirm Thursday whether his early withdrawal from the Supreme Court signals an impending campaign. “I don’t want to allow my focus to be so distracted by anything personally about what my plans may be that I take my focus away from making sure I leave the court in the best situation,” Morgan said. “So I’m not fully prepared to talk about what I shall be doing, but soon after I leave the court I can more directly focus on myself.” By stepping down early, Morgan affords Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper the opportunity to appoint a successor who can serve the remainder of Morgan’s term and run for reelection with the advantage of incumbency. “It just seems an opportune time coming from the summer break of the court with a pipeline of work fully satisfied and submitted and to allow the governor to have a chance to appoint someone who would then have a chance to run as an incumbent for an eight-year term, something that I would not have been able to do due to age restrictions,” Morgan said. “All that just has added up quite well in terms of my departure from the court at this time.” Morgan said he didn’t know who Cooper is considering for appointment to the court, and the governor’s office did not immediately respond to The N&O’s request for comment. Possible candidates could include Allison Riggs, Toby Hampson, John Arrowood and Allegra Collins, all of whom serve as Democratic judges on the state Court of Appeals. Cooper appointed Riggs to her current position in February. Cheri Beasley, a former North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice and the 2022 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, could also make Cooper’s short list. If Morgan was to run for governor, he would force a primary election against North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, the only Democratic to declare his candidacy so far. This story was originally published August 24, 2023, 2:05 PM. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article278569459.html Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/