Here's why we shouldn't elect judges

If you want to see why North Carolina shouldn't be electing judges, meet District Court Judge Bill Belk. He could be the poster child for a rational campaign to make judges appointive, with the periodic opportunity to recall judges by popular vote.

I've already met Belk. He lived across the hall from me one year in a UNC dormitory. He was a "wild and crazy guy" at the time and let everyone know that he was an heir to the Belk department store fortune. In one memorable episode, Bill decided he should invite Tricia Nixon (the then-president's then-unmarried daughter) to the UNC-Duke football game. He persuaded me, who he said was a better writer than himself, to write the letter inviting Tricia to be his date for the game. I did it but worried that I might be picked up by the FBI or Secret Service. Weeks after the game, Bill received a polite reply  from Ms. Nixon's social secretary informing him that she was busy that weekend. Our paths crossed again in 1980 when I moved to Wilson to work for the newspaper, and Bill was here learning the department store business from the late Herb Jeffries at the local Belk store.

Since that time, Bill had some sort of falling out with other members of the family, left the family business and got a law degree. After a judge ruled against him in a divorce case, according to the Charlotte Observer, Belk filed to run against the judge and won, likely on the basis of his family name, which still stirs respect in Charlotte. Not only did his grandfather locate the headquarters for his stores there, but his uncle, John Belk, served admirably as mayor and has his name on a major city freeway.

Now Bill Belk faces potential discipline from the Judicial Standards Commission. (Read the judge's response to the discipline filing.) He has made accusations about the judicial system and has refused to resign from a corporate board in violation of state policy for judges. Would Bill Belk be appointed by any sane governor to decide court cases? Not a chance. But voters, who usually know nothing about judicial candidates, might vote for a familiar name and end up with a mess like this one.