If a state government agency wants to avoid complying with N C law it might be able to accomplish its goal through a collusive lawsuit settlement But state lawmakers could take steps this year to strike back against those settlements Andy Jackson director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation explains why the General Assembly should address the issue The recent addition of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the U S Supreme Court has revived discussion of the legal concept of originalism One ongoing debate among constitutional theorists involves the importance of court precedents for [... more]

Debate about public education in North Carolina gets bogged down by some popular myths The myths include misconceptions about teacher pay and the impact of school choice on public school enrollment Terry Stoops John Locke Foundation vice president for research and director of education studies addresses those myths and attempts to correct the record Occupational licensing laws limit economic opportunities in North Carolina During a recent speech for the Federalist Society in Raleigh attorney Justin Pearson of the Institute for Justice explained how Pearson shares highlights from that presentation in a one-on-one interview The University of North Carolina System has [... more]

As N C lawmakers look for ways to improve school safety in the aftermath of the Parkland Fla school shooting one area that's attracting attention is increased access to school mental health services Lindsay Marchello Carolina Journal associate editor reports on a recent meeting that emphasized recommendations for more school nurses and psychologists Marchello also notes one other interesting piece of education news the selection of a charter school operator to run the Robeson County school selected for the state's new Innovative School District College athletes devote much of their time to practicing and playing games They also spend a [... more]

Devastation in Texas linked to Hurricane Harvey and the threat of East Coast damage from Hurricane Irma helped lead to higher prices at N C gas pumps State officials also invoked North Carolina's price-gouging law Roy Cordato John Locke Foundation senior economist and resident scholar explains why the law ignores the laws of economics He explains the link between price-gouging restrictions and gasoline shortages While U S Supreme Court justices enjoy a brief break in their work Ilya Shapiro is busy analyzing the court's work from the past year Shapiro is senior fellow in constitutional studies at the libertarian Cato [... more]