Thomas Farr Obituary, Death – The death of Thomas Farr, a longstanding attorney in North Carolina who specialized in redistricting and election law and who frequently protected Republican interests, was announced on Tuesday by a colleague in the legal field. Farr’s candidacy for a federal judgeship in 2018 was thwarted by two senators from the Republican party. He was 69 years old. The death of Farr occurred on Monday, according to Phil Strach, a colleague election law attorney who stated that he had discussed Farr’s passing with his family. Strach stated that Farr had suffered from a number of cardiac problems. Strach did not disclose the location of Farr’s passing.
In his words, “He ought to be remembered as what I would describe as a legal titan, certainly in North Carolina and, in many respects, nationwide,” Strach said. If you do not have a track record of legal successes, you will not be nominated for a position as a federal judge. According to Strach, Farr immigrated to North Carolina in the 1980s. Farr was born in Ohio and received his legal education at Emory University and Georgetown University. Farr became well-known for his efforts in redistricting disputes, despite the fact that he was an individual who specialized in employment law.
A number of civil rights organizations and Democrats voiced their disapproval of Farr’s decision to defend voting and redistricting laws in North Carolina that had been deemed racially discriminatory by judges during his final nomination. Included in this was a law that was passed in 2013 and had aspects that were ruled down, such as forcing voters to present photo identification and lowering the number of early voting days. A further point of contention among the detractors was the fact that Farr had worked as a lawyer for the reelection campaign of Republican Senator Jesse Helms in the year 1990. According to allegations made by the United States Department of Justice, the campaign addressed postcards, primarily to African-American voters, with the intention of intimidating them into not voting.
In the 1990s, he was a participant in oral arguments that were presented to the United States Supreme Court in connection with a court case in which voters successfully contended that an unorthodox congressional district that was created by Democrats from North Carolina and had a majority of Black voters violated the Voting Rights Act. In the 2000s and 2010s, when Republicans were in control of the state legislature and its legislation and redistricting lines were being challenged, Farr was involved in voting and redistricting cases. He continued to do so until the 2010s. He was formally nominated for a judgeship on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina four times, with two nominations coming from President George W. Bush and two nominations coming from President Donald Trump, but Farr was never approved. A.
