Current:Home > InvestNorth Carolina redistricting attorney who fell short in federal confirmation fight dies at 69-LoTradeCoin
North Carolina redistricting attorney who fell short in federal confirmation fight dies at 69
View Date:2024-12-24 08:44:10
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Thomas Farr, a longtime North Carolina redistricting and election law attorney who regularly defended Republican interests but whose 2018 federal judgeship nomination was scuttled by two GOP senators, has died, a legal colleague said Tuesday. He was 69.
Farr died on Monday following a series of heart problems, according to Phil Strach, a fellow election law attorney who said he had spoken to Farr’s family about his death. Strach declined to say where Farr died.
“He should be remembered as what I would describe as a legal titan, certainly in North Carolina and, in many respects, nationwide,” Strach said. “You don’t get nominated a federal judge without ... a record of legal accomplishments.”
Farr, an Ohio native who attended law schools at Emory University and Georgetown University, arrived in North Carolina in the 1980s, according to Strach.
Although a specialist in employment law, Farr became known for his work in redistricting litigation. He participated in oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1990s for a court case in which voters argued successfully that an unconventional majority-Black congressional district drawn by North Carolina Democrats violated the Voting Rights Act.
Farr participated in voting and redistricting cases into the 2000s and then the 2010s, when Republicans took over the state legislature and their laws and redistricting lines were being challenged. Farr was formally nominated to a U.S. District Court judgeship in eastern North Carolina four times — two each by President George W. Bush and President Donald Trump — but was never confirmed.
During his final nomination, civil rights groups and Democrats criticized Farr for defending North Carolina voting and redistricting laws that judges had declared racially discriminatory. That included a 2013 law whose provisions requiring photo identification to vote and reducing the number of early voting days were struck down.
The critics also focused on Farr’s time serving as a lawyer for the reelection campaign of Republican Sen. Jesse Helms in 1990. The U.S. Justice Department alleged that postcards sent by the campaign mostly to Black voters were intended to intimidate them from voting.
Farr told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that he wasn’t consulted about the postcards, did not have any role in drafting or sending them and was appalled by the language on them.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott sealed Farr’s confirmation failure by announcing in November 2018 that he wouldn’t vote for him, joining GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona and 49 Democratic lawmakers. Scott, the lone Black Republican in the chamber, said he decided to vote against Farr after a 1991 Justice Department memo on the postcard matter “shed new light on Mr. Farr’s activities.”
Strach, who worked with Farr for 25 years, most recently as a fellow law partner at the Nelson Mullins firm, called Farr’s defeat the result of politics that blew allegations out of proportion. Farr was “confused and perplexed by the negative blowback” that he received, given that he believed his redistricting work in the 1990s plowed new ground to protect Black voting rights, Strach said. Strach called Farr a compassionate person who helped the next generation of lawyers.
Farr’s “contributions to the legal field, his tireless advocacy for justice, and his commitment to the U.S. Constitution and the founding principles of our country will continue to inspire those who knew him for many years to come,” North Carolina Republican House Speaker Tim Moore said in a news release.
veryGood! (54158)
Related
- In bizarro world, Tennessee plays better defense, and Georgia's Kirby Smart comes unglued
- Climate change sees IOC aim to choose hosts of 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics at same time next July
- Douglas Clark, convicted murderer and half of the Sunset Strip Killers, dies of natural causes
- New Zealand political candidates dance and hug on the final day of election campaign
- She was found dead while hitchhiking in 1974. An arrest has finally been made.
- Zimbabwe opposition leader demands the reinstatement of party lawmakers kicked out of Parliament
- Zimbabwe opposition leader demands the reinstatement of party lawmakers kicked out of Parliament
- Fear and confusion mark key moments of Lahaina residents’ 911 calls during deadly wildfire
- Bears fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron amid stretch of 23 drives without a TD
- Pakistan says suspects behind this week’s killing of an anti-India militant have been arrested
Ranking
- ‘Heretic’ and Hugh Grant debut with $11 million, but ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ tops box office again
- 5 Things podcast: White nationalism is surging. How can it be stopped?
- 2 women charged after operating unlicensed cosmetic surgery recovery house in Miami
- California considers stepping in to manage groundwater basin in farm country
- Get well, Pop. The Spurs are in great hands until your return
- New Suits TV Series Is in the Works and We Have No Objections, Your Honor
- Colorado judge strikes down Trump’s attempt to toss a lawsuit seeking to bar him from the ballot
- US says it found health and safety violations at a GM joint venture battery plant in Ohio
Recommendation
-
Controversial comedian Shane Gillis announces his 'biggest tour yet'
-
AP Week in Pictures: Asia
-
US defense secretary is in Israel to meet with its leaders and see America’s security assistance
-
As Alabama Judge Orders a Takeover of a Failing Water System, Frustrated Residents Demand Federal Intervention
-
Joey Logano wins Phoenix finale for 3rd NASCAR Cup championship in 1-2 finish for Team Penske
-
Colorado police officer convicted in 2019 death of Elijah McClain; ex-officer acquitted
-
The 13 Best Good Luck Charms for Friday the 13th and Beyond
-
Alabama commission aims to award medical marijuana licenses by the end of 2023