Do campaign contributions from special interest groups influence judicial candidates when they reach the bench?
All tagged opinion
Senate report: Biden administration left thousands in Afghanistan to face brutal regime
A failure of duty caused by lack of planning, coordination, and communication left hundreds of Americans and tens of thousands of allies in Afghanistan after a botched withdrawal from the country in August 2021, a new Senate report says.
Political labels can be artificial
In this era of increasing partisan polarization, is the “middle” shrinking before our eyes?
OPINION: “Zero Risk” is too risky for me
With respect to risk tolerance, if you’d asked me before March 2020, I probably would have described myself as “risk-averse.” For example, I’m what you might call respectful of heights. That’s my preferred euphemism for terrified. I wasn’t too fond of them to begin with, but falling off a ladder while cleaning off leaves was enough. I set out to do\ a mundane chore and returned limping like Quasimodo and moaning like Marley’s ghost. I’m also cautious with money, and I don’t like to make big decisions on a lark.
Freedom is worth the risk
During each election cycle, we are treated to an endless parade of politicians extolling freedom. Given how many of them subsequently vote to restrict our freedom in myriad ways, we have ample reason to be skeptical about politicians.
OPINION - The Woodshed: Democrats plan to block primary move
Legislative Democrats and Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper are making it clear they will oppose the legislation to move North Carolina’s primary election date from May 17 to June 7.
OPINION: The Woodshed: Legislature to move primary election back to June 7
Legislative Republicans will vote this week to delay the 2022 primary elections until June 7. The move was first reported by Carolina Journal over the MLK holiday weekend.
OPINION: Teaching critical race theory is not civil rights history
You’ve likely seen talking heads or social media mavens blasting opposition to critical race theory by linking it to a refusal to teach American history. More specifically, the accusation often states that conservatives merely want to do away with teaching the history of the American civil rights movement or other black experiences in the past, such as slavery.
Unanimous three-judge panel upholds N.C. election maps, appeal likely
A unanimous three-judge panel has upheld North Carolina's new congressional and legislative election maps. The panel of two Republican Superior Court judges and one Democratic colleague rejected critics' arguments that mapmakers engaged in unconstitutional partisan and racial gerrymandering.
Our sky was never falling
From July 2020 to July 2021, there was a net inflow of 637,729 Americans into these top-five destination states: Florida, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina. During the same period, there was a net outflow of 918,443 Americans from these top-five exporter states: California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Louisiana.
OPINION: Our relationship with big tech must change
At this moment in world history, we are the richest, healthiest, smartest, and most connected humans that have ever lived. Our drinking water is cleaner than it has ever been. Our GDP is the highest, babies are healthier, lifespans are longer, and our food is abundant. (Ex: 150 years ago, a cow produced 1000 pounds of milk in a year. Today, a cow produces 16,000 pounds annually).
OPINION: The people have already spoken on who represents them on NC Supreme Court
Christmas came early for justice in North Carolina. Two days before Christmas, the North Carolina Supreme Court issued a one-page order on the issue of recusal. The NACCP had asked the Court to involuntarily recuse Justices Phil Berger Jr. and Tamara Barringer from NAACP v. Moore because Justice Berger’s father was a nominal defendant and Justice Barringer served in the legislature that passed the challenged legislation.
OPINION: A new year should remind us of old truths about government
A new year often brings a desire for change. For all the failed resolutions, somebody out there, many even, will alter their lives for the better. We are constantly changing as a society. Fashion, music, cost of living, it’s all changing. How many people born just a half-century ago could have foreseen today’s technological advances?
School closures were too risky
When the news broke on January 3 that one of North Carolina’s largest school districts, Cumberland County, was considering a shift to virtual instruction in response to rising case counts of the Omicron variant, I felt my stomach lurch.
Sheriffs, DAs, court clerks want N.C. Supreme Court to reopen candidate filing
Groups representing N.C. sheriffs, district attorneys, and Superior Court clerks want the N.C. Supreme Court to reopen candidate filing for their upcoming elections.
OPINION: There's no easy path for throwing out unconstitutional N.C. law
Some laws turn out to be unconstitutional. It’s usually up to the courts to make that determination.
Appeals Court to decide whether UNC, NCSU should refund student fees from COVID shutdown
The N.C. Court of Appeals will decide in the weeks or months ahead whether students from N.C. State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill can sue their schools for refunds of student fees.
Manufacturing continues to thrive
With the recent announcements of a new Toyota battery plant in Randolph County, a new Fujifilm Diosynth drug plant in Wake County, a large MasterBrand cabinet facility in Kinston, and a big White River Marine operation in New Bern for making saltwater boats, among other projects, North Carolina’s manufacturing sector appears to be thriving.
On becoming a political advertiser
On this matter, I’m inclined to believe the company (now called Meta by its CEO and nearly a dozen other human beings). That doesn’t make my latest encounter with the social-media giant any less frustrating, however.
OPINION: Virginia proves now is America’s school choice moment
America has reached its school choice moment. The decades-long fight to create and expand school choice programs accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and finally played out politically as the eyes of the nation watched the gubernatorial race in Virginia on Nov. 2.