State Policy
June 10, 2016 -
North Carolina lawmakers recently proposed drastically cutting tuition at several historically black public universities but altered the bill after protests by HBCU students and alumni. One of the lawmakers behind the measure was also a key player behind a law that limited voting rights and dramatically affected HBCU students, and they haven't forgotten.
June 9, 2016 -
Two climate watchdogs will now have a chance to continue their appeal of North Carolina regulators' decision allowing Duke Energy to build a $1.1 billion fracked gas power plant thanks to an order handed down this week by the state appeals court rejecting a $10 million bond requirement from the nonprofit groups.
June 3, 2016 -
North Carolina will hold a special primary election for Congress on June 7 because of a court ruling that the legislature unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts. The election is costing the state millions, with turnout expected to be extremely low. Will the debacle boost the case for independent redistricting?
May 26, 2016 -
In recent weeks, the company got the N.C. Utilities Commission to require an unprecedented $10 million bond from grassroots groups seeking to block construction of a fracked gas plant and lobbied N.C. lawmakers to get a coal ash bill that watchdogs have blasted as a "bailout" and a "sweetheart deal."
May 13, 2016 -
A report released this week sheds light on the potential costs to North Carolina of its controversial new law requiring transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificate and nullifying local anti-discrimination and minimum-wage ordinances.
May 13, 2016 -
Announcing the U.S. Justice Department would sue North Carolina over its anti-transgender "bathroom bill," Attorney General Loretta Lynch noted there's historically been backlash to equality gains. What's been happening in Southern legislatures since the Supreme Court struck down marriage discrimination last year bears that out.
May 6, 2016 -
Last month Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order restoring voting rights to 200,000 ex-felons. Republican lawmakers now want to challenge the order in court.
