Edmunds, Morgan advance in Supreme Court primary

Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds and a Wake County Superior Court judge have advanced to the general election for a seat on North Carolina's highest court.

Unofficial and nearly complete results show Edmunds and Michael Morgan finishing one-two in Tuesday's officially nonpartisan primary for the bench. Trailing were Sabra Faires of Cary and Daniel Robertson of Advance.

Edmunds. who is from Greensboro, has served on the Supreme Court since 2001. The state Republican Party sent mailers and automated recorded calls featuring Gov. Pat McCrory urging people to vote for Edmunds. Morgan was backed by the state Democratic Party.

Last year, there seemed to be no need for a primary because the General Assembly passed a law allowing Edmunds to run by himself this coming November in an up-or-down referendum. But Faires and others sued, calling the "retention election" idea unconstitutional, and a three-judge panel agreed.