A longtime civil rights attorney who successfully sued in striking down North Carolina legislative redistricting maps is running for the state Supreme Court next year.

Anita Earls is executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. She announced plans Wednesday at state Democratic Party headquarters to run for an eight-year term in 2018. Earls would run for the seat currently held by Justice Barbara Jackson, a Republican.

How judicial elections will play out next year remains unclear. The legislature approved a law this fall that cancelled the May primaries for judicial races, setting up one election for each trial and appeals court seat next fall that could attract multiple candidates to each race.

GOP lawmakers also are considering whether to do away with head-to-head court elections all together.