Carolina Journal Radio No. 829: N.C. election maps head back to nation’s highest court

North Carolina’s ongoing congressional redistricting dispute returned to the U.S. Supreme Court recently. As justices decide whether Republicans engaged in too much partisanship when they drew election maps, a case challenging state legislative district maps is proceeding to trial in state court later this year. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, analyzes the latest developments in both sets of legal challenges. School choice has boomed in North Carolina in recent years. Advocates hope to build on choice options in the coming year. Mike Long, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, shares his group’s top priorities. Some N.C. lawmakers hope to improve the state’s health care options through new legislation. It focuses on association health plans. AHPs would allow more small employers and self-employed workers to band together for insurance. They could seek insurance options that have been available only to large companies in recent years. During a recent Capitol Hill hearing on crumbling school buildings across the country, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5th District, highlighted another pressing issue. Foxx reminded her colleagues that education spending has increased substantially in recent years. But she says much of that increased spending has funded administrative bloat instead of teacher salaries and other high-priority items. North Carolina has one of the nation’s best laws limiting civil asset forfeiture abuse. But the state still could be open to problems if local law enforcement agencies circumvent that law when working with the federal government. Jon Guze, John Locke Foundation director of legal studies, discusses how other states have addressed the circumvention problem.