RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina judicial primaries won't happen this year, based on a federal judge's ruling favoring Republican legislative leaders who passed a law canceling those nominee elections for this year only.

• Judge's ruling means no judicial primaries will be held this year.
• GOP had passed law canceling the elections this year only.
• Democrats had hoped to get the primaries back. 

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles announced Tuesday she would side with the GOP defendants in a lawsuit filed by the Democratic Party demanding the primaries for trial and appellate court seats be restored. A one-day trial was held this month. 

Eagles did not give her reasons in a two-sentence order, saying a full ruling would come next week. Eagles wrote she announced her decision now because candidate filing for judicial seats began this week. 

Democrats had argued their First Amendment right to association was harmed by the cancellations because they use primaries to help rally supporters around favored candidates.