Bob Orr has had a long career in the public eye. His latest career move actually falls in line with what he first went to UNC Chapel Hill to study.The radio student is now hosting a podcast focusing on Western North Carolina's Congressional district, and all the candidates running to represent it. The Battle for NC 14 features interviews with candidates, plus Orr's insight from his career in law. He served as a North Carolina Supreme Court justice from 1994 to 2004, and ran for Governor in North Carolina in 2008. He was a Republican during his time office, but last year he officially changed his voter registration to unaffiliated, citing his disgust at the path of the party under former President Donald Trump.
Orr spoke with BPR's Matt Bush about his podcast and his roots in Western North Carolina and the Republican Party, as well as the pressure current state supreme court justices are feeling as they prepare to rule on a crucial gerrymandering lawsuit next month that will decide what lines will be used in 2022 for U.S. House and General Assembly elections in North Carolina. You can hear their interview above, as well as during a new episode of The Porch this Friday morning at 9 on Blue Ridge Public Radio.