Carolina Journal Radio No. 717: Trump hits home run with Supreme Court pick

President Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to succeed the late Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. Conservatives have offered general praise for Trump’s choice, while some critics have geared up for a confirmation fight. Jon Guze, the John Locke Foundation’s director of legal studies, analyzes Gorsuch’s record and assesses his likely impact on the state’s highest court. North Carolina lawmakers have devoted much of their time and taxpayer dollars in recent years to raising public school teacher pay. Now some lawmakers want to focus attention on pay for school principals. You’ll hear highlights from a recent legislative debate on the topic, along with reaction from Terry Stoops, JLF’s director of research and education studies. Speaking of schools, North Carolina’s newly elected state superintendent of public instruction recently briefed the State Board of Education for the first. You’ll learn Superintendent Mark Johnson’s top priorities as he begins his new job working with the Department of Public Instruction. Some N.C. legislators want to focus attention on the state’s long-term transportation needs. They say the state can’t address those needs with its current funding sources. You’ll hear highlights from a recent meeting of a study committee addressing North Carolina’s transportation challenges in the coming decades. Just before Roy Cooper entered North Carolina’s executive mansion as governor, state lawmakers approved a new law that subjects Cooper’s Cabinet appointments to a confirmation process in the state Senate. As Cooper challenges the process, senators have spelled out details of how it will work. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, discusses the process and explains how it might impact Cooper’s agenda and the new governor’s relationship with the General Assembly.