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1 week ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
Environmental activists and friendly regulators might face more obstacles in the future when they employ a “sue-and-settle” strategy to change North Carolina’s rules. Members of the state’s highest court recently signaled they could take steps that would make the strategy less likely to succeed. The “sue-and-settle” label applies when an outside group sues a government agency to challenge a law […]
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2 weeks ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
The North Carolina Constitution guarantees the right to hunt and fish. But that right has limits. A recent decision from the state’s second-highest court explained why government restrictions on Sunday hunting comply with the constitution. Before 2017, North Carolina “prohibited all firearm hunting” on Sundays, according to the state Court of Appeals’ April 16 decision in Oates v. Berger. A Sunday hunting violation could be punished as a Class 3 misdemeanor.
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3 weeks ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
It’s no surprise when Democrats in the North Carolina House of Representatives complain about the way Republican leaders conduct the chamber’s business. Those complaints have become common over the past 15 years. It’s more unusual to hear a House Republican raising procedural concerns. But the frequency of those complaints is likely to rise this year, thanks to the return of Rep. John Blust, R-Guilford.
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1 month ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
North Carolina’s highest court attracted national attention with its recent decision in the case of a 14-year-old who was forced to take the COVID vaccine. With a 5-2 vote, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on March 21 that Tanner Smith and his mother, Emily Happel, can pursue claims that the forced vaccination in 2021 violated their state constitutional rights. […]
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1 month ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
Most classic rock fans know the line: “Meet the new boss — same as the old boss.” The Who’s memorable words recently came to mind as I listened to North Carolina’s new governor. He was parroting his predecessor’s plan to freeze state tax rates. North Carolina’s flat individual income tax rate dropped from 4.75% in 2023 to 4.5% last year. […]
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1 month ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
Ever since his entry into the 2016 presidential race, Donald Trump has occupied his own space in American politics. No other figure generates the same response from the electorate. Not even Trump’s closest allies. The most recent Carolina Journal Poll provides more evidence that Trump stands alone. The March 9-10 survey of 615 likely general election voters in North Carolina […]
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1 month ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
Donald Trump’s return to the White House thrust tariffs back into the public spotlight. The president has targeted tariffs at both friendly and adversarial trading partners. Reaction to Trump’s plans tends to follow predictable political fault lines surrounding the 47th president. Democrats who had been relatively silent about tariffs in recent years — including Biden administration tariff increases finalized as […]
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2 months ago | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
Names have changed at the top of North Carolina’s executive branch and one of its two legislative chambers. Yet that doesn’t mean the end of legal battles pitting the top executive against top lawmakers. After a series of courtroom cases titled Cooper v. Berger in recent years, North Carolinians should anticipate new skirmishes called Stein v. Hall. Josh Stein succeeded […]
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Feb 4, 2025 | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
The ongoing legal battle over a seat on North Carolina’s Supreme Court has generated plenty of heated rhetoric. Critics have labeled Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin’s election challenges “anti-democratic.” They’ve accused him of trying to disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters. The high court’s leader isn’t buying the spin. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby, a fellow Republican, recently considered […]
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Jan 28, 2025 | 
restorationnewsmedia.com | Corey Friedman |Mitch Kokai
Legal battles pitting the Atlantic Coast Conference against two member schools have attracted attention primarily on the sports page. But the disputes raise questions extending beyond stadiums and arenas. A dozen state attorneys general and North Carolina’s leading business lobbying group have added arguments to the court record. The cases’ outcomes could affect business operations in North Carolina for years […]
