On this episode of Our American Stories Danielle Mickelson's business was expanding until administrative rules forced her to put her dreams on hold Thankfully The Institute for Justice stepped in to help Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories the Story of Paula Smith who Challenged North Carolina's Unconstitutional Map Act - with help from the Institute for Justice Learn about the Rule of Law and the former North Carolina MAP Act Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories in this Rule of Law Story James King and his lawyer Patrick Jaicomo from the Institute for Justice tell the story of a extreme case of mistaken identity that led them down a long road to achieve justice Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories Taylor Dooley nbsp shares the story of when nbsp she played the role of Lavagirl and how now years later she nbsp has returned to acting to play the same role in the Netflix Film nbsp We Can Be Heroes nbsp Institute for Justice lawyer Wesley Hottot tells the story of Ash Patel's nearly six-year long legal battle stemming from the Texas Board of Cosmetology requiring his eyebrow threaders to go back to school to learn other people's jobs Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate nbsp Time Codes nbsp - Lava [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories Jarrod Roll shares the story of how Star Wars toys revolutionized movie merchandising licensing and even how kids play Institute for Justice lawyer Wesley Hottot tells the story of Ash Patel's nearly six year long legal battle stemming from the Texas Board of Cosmetology requiring his eyebrow threaders to go back to school to learn other people's jobs Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate nbsp Time Codes - The Star Wars Toy Empire Revolution - The State of Texas tried to take down a man's Livelihood He Fought BackSee omnystudio com [... more]

Gov Roy Cooper and other advocates of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina argue consistently that expansion would not cost any state taxpayer dollars A new analysis from the John Locke Foundation and the Ohio-based Buckeye Institute call that claim into question A model based on enrollment estimates and Medicaid costs in expansion states suggests N C budget writers would face a gap of million to million to cover new Medicaid costs Jordan Roberts John Locke Foundation health care policy analyst highlights key points from the new Medicaid expansion analysis A Superior Court judge recently struck down Wilmington's restrictions on vacation [... more]

A Union County judge has approved a deal calling on the state of North Carolina to boost education spending by more than million a year It's the first stage of a plan that would lead to billions of dollars of new spending The money is tied to the long-running Leandro lawsuit Terry Stoops John Locke Foundation vice president for research and director of education studies analyzes the latest developments in the quarter-century-old Leandro case The N C Association of Educators teachers union is leading a lawsuit designed to kill the state's Opportunity Scholarship program But three families are going to [... 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]

Gov Roy Cooper recently signed into law Senate Bill It marks the latest step in an ongoing campaign to fight overcriminalization in North Carolina Mike Schietzelt John Locke Foundation criminal justice fellow explains how the new legislation fits with the goal of cleaning up the state's overly complicated criminal code Overly burdensome occupational licensing rules restrict economic freedom in both North Carolina and South Carolina During a recent meeting in Winston-Salem the group Classical Liberals in the Carolinas learned how Jon Sanders John Locke Foundation director of regulatory studies focused attention on North Carolina's licensing restrictions Jennifer McDonald senior research [... more]

North Carolina's U S Senate race picked up two more candidates in recent weeks Cal Cunningham a former state senator dropped his campaign for lieutenant governor to make a second bid for the upper chamber on Capitol Hill Another former state senator Eric Mansfield also added his name to the list of Democrats who want to challenge incumbent Republican Thom Tillis Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes the latest developments in the high-profile race The certificate of need represents one way government steps in to restrict health care innovation Josh Windham attorney at the Institute for Justice explains why IJ [... more]

The U S economy has posted impressive gains recently Both President Trump and former President Barack Obama are claiming credit Roy Cordato the John Locke Foundation's senior economist puts the competing claims to the test A Winston-Salem surgeon is taking North Carolina state government to court because of a law that blocks him from purchasing an MRI scanner Dr Gajendra Singh says the scanner would help him provide a valuable service to his patients at a reasonable cost North Carolina's certificate-of-need law blocks Singh from making the purchase Singh and his attorney Josh Windham of the Institute for Justice explain [... more]

Political prognosticators often look at independent unaffiliated voters for clues about the likely outcomes of upcoming elections The Civitas Institute recently polled unaffiliated N C voters Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes the poll's findings He discusses how the numbers could affect key elections and the fate of proposed constitutional amendments A Winston-Salem surgeon is challenging state certificate-of-need restrictions that block him from buying an MRI machine Dr Gajendra Singh says the machine would help him provide MRI services for patients at a lower price than they would pay at a nearby hospital You'll hear highlights from a recent news [... more]

State Treasurer Dale Folwell has made headlines in recent weeks He's proposed that any new statewide bond package should face a voter referendum He's working to help reduce State Health Plan costs He's advocating pension reforms related to spiking and government workers convicted of crimes Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes Folwell's high-profile activity No one knows all of the crimes created in North Carolina Not even the woman who literally wrote the state's book on criminal law Jessica Smith professor of public law and government at the UNC School of Government says hundreds of crimes are scattered across more [... more]

Pro-growth policies have helped boost North Carolina's economy in recent years From tax reform to regulatory reform to government spending restraint policymakers have taken steps to help boost North Carolina's competitiveness Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president highlights evidence of the state's recent economic successes A process called civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to seize private property from people who have been convicted of no crimes It's the type of property-rights abuse the Washington D C -based Institute for Justice fights across the country During a recent visit to North Carolina IJ President and General Counsel [... more]

Experts fear that poorly designed government policies could make a bad situation worse when it comes to North Carolina's opioid epidemic Carolina Journal's latest cover story highlights the experts' concerns Editor-in-Chief Rick Henderson shares details from the CJ report Free trade has taken a hit in recent public policy debates Bryan Riley senior analyst in trade policy at the Heritage Foundation explains why free trade continues to play an important role in American economic growth Riley rebuts dubious claims about the negative impact of trade One of the most popular statistics in debates about public education is per-pupil expenditure PPE [... more]

The N C General Assembly returns to work Oct In addition to gubernatorial vetoes and unresolved bills from this year's regular long session legislators could address proposed constitutional amendments and a plan to redraw judicial election maps Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president analyzes legislators' priorities as they prepare to head back to the capital city Many people believe science should guide public policy That idea sounds good but the science used to make public policy decisions can be shoddy John Staddon Duke University professor emeritus is writing a book about the scientific method He says much of [... more]

A Charlotte makeup artist wants to open a school to share her expertise But a state regulatory board says no To win state permission Jasna Bukvic-Bhayani would be forced buy thousands of dollars of new equipment and expand her curriculum to include hours of instruction in subjects other than makeup So she is suing the state Carolina Journal has covered her story Editor-in-Chief Rick Henderson explains why the Institute for Justice is pursuing the lawsuit on free-speech grounds The political left has turned to the sports world in recent years for ammunition in its ideological battles The weaponization of sports [... more]

North Carolina lawmakers approved a billion General Fund budget plan overriding Gov Roy Cooper's veto with more than two days to spare before the start of the new budget year Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president shares highlights from the spending plan Gray also explains how the latest budget fits with Republican legislative leaders' long-term strategy of limiting government spending growth and lowering tax burdens Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to take property from people suspected of illegal activity even if they never face criminal charges The process is open to abuse Darpana Sheth senior attorney [... more]

It has attracted much less attention than other high-profile elements of the N C state budget plan but one provision could have major long-term positive benefits for taxpayers and for public education The provision creates a Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Finance Reform Terry Stoops the John Locke Foundation's vice president for research explains how that task force could play an important role When people lobby government to create a new occupational license for their profession they usually claim to be looking out for their customers' best interests In most cases they actually hope to limit entry into their [... more]

NC Family president John Rustin talks with Renee Flaherty an attorney with the Institute for Justice the nation's leading legal advocacy group for school choice about the legal defense of North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program which is being challenged in two separate lawsuits [... more]