This is what happens when Dems/liberals pay attention only to the Presidential election and not state-level stuff:

«The legislature also handed the current Republican chief justice of the state Supreme Court, Paul Newby, greater power to determine which judges hear lawsuits challenging state laws. So, a Republican chief justice can steer Republican lawmakers to Republican-friendly and/or Republican-appointed judges to hear a challenge to laws passed by a Republican legislature.»

https://www.publicnotice.co/p/north-carolina-gop-power-grab-roy-cooper