lawsuit
ACLU sues over new state law it says puts peaceful protestors in danger of prosecution
The ACLU of North Carolina filed a federal lawsuit against a new state law that is supposed to curb rioting, saying provisions give police discretion to arrest nonviolent protesters. The law violates both the U.S. and state constitutions and includes provisions that a federal court previously found to be unconstitutional, the ACLU said in a […]
Berger, Moore seek to defend state’s abortion pill laws in federal court
Republican legislators want to defend state laws in a federal suit that challenges the legality of North Carolina’s restrictions on prescribing the abortion pill. This comes after the Attorney General’s office said the objection to state restrictions the lawsuit raises is on point. To recap, an Ob/Gyn who practices in Orange County sued the state, […]
Pittsboro sues 20 companies, including 3M, Chemours, DuPont over PFAS contamination in town drinking water
The Town of Pittsboro has sued more than 20 companies, including Chemours, DuPont and 3M, BASF and several other manufacturers of PFAS, for allegedly polluting its water supply with the toxic compounds. The lawsuit was filed yesterday in Chatham County Superior Court. It asks the court to force the companies to reimburse the town for […]
NC doctor challenges state restrictions on abortion pill
An Ob/Gyn with a practice in Orange County is suing in federal court over restrictions the state imposes on providing an abortion pill. State requirements for giving patients a drug called mifepristone go beyond what the Food and Drug Administration requires. The extra restrictions the state imposes were considered and rejected by the FDA, the […]
NC Republican leaders want a three-judge panel for the next step in a voter ID case, not the judge who initially decided against them
North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders want a three-judge panel to determine whether the state’s voter ID constitutional amendment was legitimately on the ballot. The state Supreme Court’s Democratic majority in a 4-3 decision last month said that proposed constitutional amendments aren’t automatically valid if legislators who voted to put the questions on the ballot were […]
Unaffiliated voters sue to change NC law barring them from the state elections board
North Carolina has more unaffiliated voters than it does Democrats or Republicans, but people who claim no party affiliation cannot serve on the state Board of Elections. A federal lawsuit filed by Common Cause seeks to change that. The organization is suing Republican legislative leaders to get unaffiliated voters membership to the board that sets […]
UNC-Chapel Hill reaches settlement with Nikole Hannah-Jones, avoiding lawsuit
UNC-Chapel Hill has reached a settlement with acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones over the failed attempt to hire the her last year, avoiding a potential lawsuit. Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of the best-selling 1619 Project, was courted by the university’s journalism school for a Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism. Policy Watch broke the […]
NC Supreme Court hears redistricting case arguments
State Supreme Court justices were asked in oral arguments Wednesday to declare that redistricting plans the Republicans devised are so skewed that they violate voters’ constitutional rights, while lawyers for GOP lawmakers argued that redistricting should be left to the legislature. Common Cause, the League of Conservation Voters, and a group of voters backed by […]
Transgender North Carolinians sue state over birth certificate policy
A group of transgender people and their families filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday over how North Carolina handles people receiving birth certificates that reflect their gender identity. State law currently allows North Carolinians born in the state to legally change the gender designation on their birth certificate only if they undergo gender affirming surgery. But […]
Civil rights groups sue over North Carolina redistricting
The state NAACP, Common Cause, and individual voters are suing key Republican legislators and the state Board of Elections, saying the way the legislature is drawing new districts violates the law. They are asking a judge to tell the Board of Elections to the delay the candidate filing period and next spring’s primary to give […]
NC Republicans vote to shorten the absentee ballot deadline because they are mad at the Attorney General
Senate Republicans approved a bill Wednesday evening that shortens the deadline for mail-in ballots to arrive at county elections offices because, in part, they are mad at Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein and the state Board of Elections executive director. It all goes back to a lawsuit settlement last September that included an agreement to […]
PW exclusive: Deadline set for lawsuit in Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure controversy
[divider] [/divider] The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has until Friday to offer tenure to acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones or face a federal lawsuit, according to documents obtained by Policy Watch. On Thursday, attorneys with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the law firms Levy Ratner and Ferguson Chambers & Sumter sent a […]