Thomas Farr is a Raleigh-based lawyer who has counseled North Carolina Republicans on a multitude of racially divisive cases.
Farr was a lawyer for former Senator Jesse Helms for nine years and was involved with his 1984 and 1990 election campaigns during which Helms was accused of using tactics that deliberately suppressed the black vote.
Since then Farr has represented Republican lawmakers on controversial cases involving voter ID and redistricting. President Donald Trump has re-nominated Farr as a pick for the judge seat in Eastern North Carolina, a district that encompasses 44 counties including seven counties with the state’s highest concentration of African-Americans. Indy Week Raleigh reporter Thomas Goldsmith speaks with host Frank Stasio about the Farr nomination and what impact Farr’s appointment could have on communities of color in North Carolina.
