Weekend reads: UNC drops DEI, autopsy results obscured, and Cooper’s veto to protect native trees
Critics said HB 198 would allow for more pruning along highways threatening native trees and plants. (Photo: Getty Images)
A proposed NC law would limit family and public access to death records
By Lynn Bonner
Autopsy results would be kept secret from the public in cases under criminal investigation, under a proposed change to North Carolina law discussed Tuesday.
Autopsy results in cases that could be homicides would not be released until criminal charges are filed, said Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican.
Family members would not have access to autopsy reports, but district attorneys would be able to describe their contents to family members of the deceased. [Read more...]
UNC Board of Governors repeals DEI policy, embraces ‘principled neutrality’
By Clayton Henkel and Ahmed Jallow
The UNC Board of Governors voted Thursday to repeal the UNC System’s policy on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The motion was passed on a voice vote as part of the “consent agenda,” which included multiple action items. Two board members — Joel Ford and Sonja Phillips Nichols, who are both Black — asked to be recorded as having voted ‘no.’ Neither spoke publicly to explain their vote.
Prior to the action, UNC System President Peter Hans sought to frame the board’s action as advancing the cause of “neutrality.” [Read more...]
Bonus read: House Democrats, business leaders condemn plan to repeal DEI initiatives at NC universities
NC will pay $885K in attorneys’ fees after unsuccessfully defending “ag-gag” case
By Lisa Sorg
Lawyers with the North Carolina Attorney General’s office tried three times to convince a federal court the state’s “ag-gag” law should stand.
They lost in U.S. District Court, which ruled the law violated the constitution.
They lost at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower court.
They petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, which declined.
Now the state will pay nearly $885,000 in attorneys’ fees to the plaintiffs, including the ASPCA, the Government Accountability Project and Food & Water Watch, who successfully argued that the ag-gag law ran afoul of the First Amendment. [Read more...]
NC House declines to concur with Senate changes to law governing mask wearing
The North Carolina House on Wednesday rejected controversial Senate amendments to a bill that would, among other things, ban wearing masks in public, even for health reasons.
The bill now goes to a conference committee for possible changes.
Current state law allows people to wear masks in public for health reasons, an exemption added during the pandemic, but the Senate last week voted to repeal that exemption along party lines.[Read more…]
Gov. Cooper vetoes transportation bill that would have led to a loss of more trees, native plants
Governor Roy Cooper on Thursday vetoed House Bill 198, an omnibus transportation bill that would have resulted in more pruning along roadways to benefit outdoor advertisers.
Cooper said in his veto statement that protecting North Carolina’s beauty should be a top priority, not legislation that allows for more tree cutting and the destruction of native plants around billboards.[Read more…]
Period supplies in schools are critical to education and health, schools and advocates say
By Lynn Bonner
Every day, North Carolina students who cannot afford period supplies are forced to ask teachers or school staff for feminine hygiene products. Some students miss school because they don’t have tampons or menstrual pads at home.
Advocates for ending “period poverty,” the lack of access to supplies due to lack of income, met at the Legislative Building on Wednesday to emphasize the importance the issue has for education and student health.[Read more…]
Voters wrongly accused of fraud cannot sue for defamation, NC court says
By Lynn Bonner
Individuals and law firms making false claims of fraudulent voting cannot be sued for defamation, the NC Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The state Supreme Court’s five Republican justices ruled unanimously that people and entities bringing election protests enjoy “absolute privilege” that protects them from defamation lawsuits.
The case stems from false claims of double voting in 2016 after Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in a close election.[Read more.…]
NC Senate panel okays bill to roll back automatic expungements of ‘not guilty,’ ‘dismissed’ charges
The North Carolina House Judiciary 2 Committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would repeal automatic expungements of “not guilty” or “dismissed” charges from criminal records.
The committee approved a committee substitute for Senate Bill 565 on a voice vote. As NC Newsline previously reported, the original bill proposed to restart automatic expungements the legislature approved in 2020, but that were paused months later and have now been on hold for nearly two years.[Read more...]
North Carolina House bill would grant recognition to the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina
By Ahmed Jallow
Members of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina held a press conference Tuesday morning at the North Carolina General Assembly to urge lawmakers to support House Bill 970. The bill would grant state recognition to the Tuscarora Nation. [Read more…]
Unmasking the truth about the conservative agenda in Raleigh (commentary)
The North Carolina legislature has enacted a lot of half-baked and destructive laws over the last 13-plus years of conservative rule.
There was the HB2 debacle in which lawmakers made the state a national pariah and laughingstock by promoting the preposterous notion that male sexual predators[were diabolically masquerading as transgender women in order to gain access to women’s public restrooms.
There was the infamous “Monster Voting Law” that a federal court determined targeted Black voters for disenfranchisement “with surgical precision.” […Read more]
Listen to this week’s podcast episodes:
* Dr. Lauren Fox of the Public School Forum on NC’s progress on Top Education issues
* Charlotte preschool director Emma Biggs on the impending crisis in NC’s childcare industry.
The post Weekend reads: UNC drops DEI, autopsy results obscured, and Cooper’s veto to protect native trees appeared first on NC Newsline.
