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]

Democratic Gov Roy Cooper and Republican Lt Gov Mark Robinson could present very different messages to N C voters and taxpayers in the years ahead The two men previewed a divergent path during their public swearing-in ceremonies in Raleigh While Cooper complained about the COVID- pandemic racism unaffordable health care and unequal opportunity Robinson emphasized the state's successes He pointed to his own story as North Carolina's first black lieutenant governor Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief assesses the contrast between Cooper and Robinson Prospective Asian-American students sued the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill over its admissions policies The [... more]

From extended COVID- shutdowns to unexpected government fines owners of alcohol-related businesses in North Carolina have faced special challenges in the past year John Trump Carolina Journal managing editor recaps some of the industry's key concerns Bar owners and operators across North Carolina filed lawsuits just before the Christmas holiday The suits challenge the executive orders Gov Roy Cooper has used during the COVID- pandemic to keep bars shuttered Jessica Thompson attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation discusses the suit she filed on behalf of owners of a popular Greenville bar It has been closed for more than nine months [... more]

The N C Association of Educators teachers union has been vocal about keeping brick-and-mortar schools closed to students during the COVID- pandemic That's despite the evidence of major learning loss The union stance also ignores scientific arguments in favor of returning students to classrooms Terry Stoops John Locke Foundation vice president for research and director of education studies explores NCAE's opposition to restoring classroom instruction The N C General Assembly is likely to debate law enforcement reforms as the year moves forward State lawmakers might want to consult Colorado for clues about avoiding bad reform proposals John Cooke assistant Republican [... more]

As we look forward to a new year Carolina Journal Radio reviews some of the most interesting topics from Amy Coney Barrett has joined the U S Supreme Court as its th justice She has said her judicial philosophy mirrors that of the late Justice Antonin Scalia and supporters characterize her as an originalist Jon Guze John Locke Foundation director of legal studies analyzes Barrett's record He discusses the new justice's likely impact on the nation's highest court As Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden relied on advice from U S Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez known popularly as AOC in developing policies [... more]

The COVID- pandemic has produced both health and economic consequences A new misery index attempts to document how those consequences have played out in states across the country Joseph Coletti John Locke Foundation senior fellow explains why he developed the index He explains how North Carolina compares to neighboring states and others throughout the United States Gov Roy Cooper set up a new bipartisan group to focus on health insurance coverage The governor is focusing on one aspect of coverage Medicaid expansion But lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle want to turn attention to other issues including relaxation [... more]

We still haven't heard the final word on the election but some observers are already looking ahead to North Carolina's next big electoral contest Voters will replace Republican Richard Burr in the U S Senate in Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes early announcements and speculation about a contest that could have a major impact on partisan control of Congress' upper chamber The federal government will look different under President-elect Joe Biden next year than it does now under President Trump But some parts of the government will carry on without much change even as the White House sees a [... more]

North Carolina welcomes a new state superintendent of public instruction in Republican Catherine Truitt will take the job after serving as leader of the online-only Western Governors University in this state Truitt also served as former Republican Gov Pat McCrory's top education adviser Terry Stoops John Locke Foundation vice president for research and resident scholar assesses Truitt's top priorities in her job at the head of the N C Department of Public Instruction Mention the word environmentalism and many people will think of left-of-center activists who oppose development energy exploration and other economic activity But a recent article in the [... more]

There's an urgent need to return N C public school students to in-person instruction That's the message Terry Stoops hopes to send The John Locke Foundation's vice president for research and director of education studies explains why the science and data suggest that school kids face much more danger of long-lasting negative effects if they remain stuck in forced online learning Republicans will maintain control of both chambers of the N C General Assembly in After winning key elections this month state Senate leader Phil Berger R-Rockingham and House Speaker Tim Moore R-Cleveland offered their reactions to voters' decisions Berger [... more]

Elections for president U S Senate and governor grabbed the headlines But North Carolinians addressed many other items during the recent election including local referendums on issues such as taxes bonds and alcohol Joseph Coletti John Locke Foundation senior fellow analyzes the results of local referendum votes across the state While Democrat Joe Biden has declared victory in the presidential race President Trump appeared to claim North Carolina's electoral votes Democratic Gov Roy Cooper won re-election but Republicans secured significant victories in other statewide races In an online forum nearly one week after Election Day GOP political consultant Jonathan Felts [... more]

Democratic Gov Roy Cooper will serve a second term as North Carolina state government's chief executive officer But voters have added three new Republicans to the group of elected executives making up the Council of State Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief discusses Cooper's re-election victory the historic election of Mark Robinson as North Carolina's first African-American lieutenant governor and two other newcomers among the council of statewide elected officials A legislative watchdog group believes North Carolina can help clean up government finances by giving new authority to internal auditors You'll learn details of the proposed reform along with reaction from [... more]

Amy Coney Barrett has joined the U S Supreme Court as its th justice She has said her judicial philosophy mirrors that of the late Justice Antonin Scalia and supporters characterize her as an originalist Jon Guze John Locke Foundation director legal studies analyzes Barrett's record He discusses the new justice's likely impact on the nation's highest court Those who want to reform higher education ought to look at governing boards That's a key piece of advice in a recent report from the James G Martin Center for Academic Renewal Report author Jay Schalin the center's director of policy analysis [... more]

Debate about the COVID- pandemic has featured plenty of data involving case numbers deaths and hospitalizations Dig into the details and you learn that the numbers might not be as useful as they first appear They might even portray a misleading picture Jon Sanders John Locke Foundation director of regulatory studies discusses key aspects of his research into key COVID- numbers Americans are paying much more attention to China these days largely because of that country's role in the pandemic Part of the discussion involves American trade with China Scott Lincicome senior fellow in economic studies at the Cato Institute [... more]

Federal taxpayers cannot afford another bailout of state and local governments Joseph Coletti the John Locke Foundation's senior fellow explains why in a column he co-wrote for TheHill com Coletti contends most state governments have fared better than expected during the COVID- pandemic Throwing more money at them now would lead to waste while continuing to drive up the multitrillion-dollar federal debt High-profile Democratic politicians have endorsed the Green New Deal It's billed as an environmental program but the deal would extend government's reach far beyond environmental policy Kent Lassman president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute discussed the Green New [... more]

Reaction to the nomination of federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U S Supreme Court offers a reminder of progressives' continuing attacks against the U S Constitution Jon Guze John Locke Foundation director of legal studies analyzes Barrett's nomination He discusses the attacks Barrett faces because of her conservative jurisprudence As the Supreme Court returns to action Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute looks back at the court's key rulings from its last term Shapiro also discusses recent trends on the high court and looks ahead to major cases for the new term The COVID- pandemic has raised plenty [... 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]

The outcome of North Carolina's U S Senate race could help determine which party controls the chamber for the next two years Incumbent Republican Sen Thom Tillis faces a tough challenge from Democrat Cal Cunningham Carolina Journal Editor-in-Chief Rick Henderson analyzes recent developments in the hotly contested race It's safe to say N C colleges and universities did not reopen in the fall in the way they had expected Some campuses welcomed students back only to send them home again for online learning within a matter of weeks Jenna Robinson president of the James G Martin Center for Academic Renewal [... 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]

More than years ago North Carolina addressed problems linked to the Spanlsh Flu Today the state continues to cope with ongoing challenges linked to COVID- In a recent column for Carolina Journal Bren e Goforth of the John Locke Foundation contrasted the state's responses to the two worldwide pandemics She shares highlights from her research The year has featured plenty of political turmoil Andrew McCarthy senior fellow at the National Review Institute placed today's troubles in historical context during a recent online forum co-sponsored by the John Locke Foundation McCarthy offered ideas for addressing today's polarized political climate Greensboro businessman [... more]

The election moves into its home stretch now that both major parties have held their national conventions Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief discusses highlights from the GOP event including the renomination of Donald Trump for a second term in the White House Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is relying on advice from U S Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez known popularly as AOC in developing policies related to energy and the environment John Locke Foundation CEO Amy O Cooke The Right AOC explains why the other AOC's policy proposals would be wrong for America U S Rep Richard Hudson wants the federal [... more]

Joe Biden has officially accepted the nomination as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes the impact of the recent Democratic National Convention on the presidential race The COVID- pandemic has generated questions about North Carolina's housing supply A recent online forum from the John Locke Foundation highlighted housing issues tied to the pandemic State legislative staffer Brent Woodcox founder of a group called YIMBY Raleigh offered ideas about policy changes that could help residents deal with housing challenges Mark Zimmerman senior vice president of NC REALTORS offered additional perspective During the midst of the pandemic [... more]

Now that we've been dealing with COVID- for several months health experts have better information about the typical characteristics of patients struggling with the disease Jordan Roberts John Locke Foundation health care policy analyst recently reviewed available data and compiled them for a COVID- patient profile The election is approaching and the John Locke Foundation hosted a recent online forum featuring experts on key N C electoral contests You'll hear assessments from political consultants Jonathan Felts Brad Crone and Jim Blaine The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked a national conversation about police reform But U S Rep [... more]