VOLUME 8 ISSUE 29
|
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
the
BRIEF this week
Morgan makes gubernatorial bid official Raleigh Former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan officially announced on Tuesday his long-rumored bid for governor. Morgan, who served one term on the N.C. Supreme Court and resigned from the bench earlier this month, brings a near four-decade career to the Democratic primary against two-term Attorney General Josh Stein. He faces an uphill battle in the contest as most of the state’s Democratic political establishment support Stein, including Gov. Roy Cooper, who is term-limited. North Carolina’s Democratic and Republican primaries are scheduled for March 5, 2024.
AP PHOTO
‘Culture of corruption’: McCarthy authorizes Biden impeachment inquiry Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday he is directing a House committee to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family’s business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the 2024 election. McCarthy said the House Oversight Committee’s investigation so far has found a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family as Republicans probe the business dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy said outside the speaker’s office at the Capitol.
NSJ STAFF
Cooper courts controversy naming Riggs new justice
Stein silent on Chinese Communist Party ‘intelligence center’ in Charlotte Raleigh In July, North Carolina Republican Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis issued questions to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding reports of Chinese Communist Party “intelligence service centers” operating in U.S. cities — including one in Charlotte. The letter to Garland describes warnings from the U.S. Department of Justice that the Ministry of Public Security “conducts covert ‘intelligence and national security operations far beyond China’s borders,’ including ‘illicit, transnational repression schemes’ on U.S. soil.” “Further, the ongoing discovery of additional OCSCs raises the question of whether DOJ’s response sufficiently addresses the threat, particularly because OCSCs have openly operated for several years and their activities have been reportedly documented in Chinese state media and social media posts,” the letter states. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, the state’s chief law enforcement officer, has also been silent on the matter. In the months following the Budd/Tillis letter, North State Journal made three attempts to contact Stein for comment on the issue but received no acknowledgment or reply. Stein, a Democrat, announced his 2024 gubernatorial bid earlier this year. A.P. DILLON
By Matt Mercer North State Journal
Proposed State Board of Education policy uses funding to circumvent Charter Review Board Board voted 8-3 to approve the controversial new policy By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — In an apparent end-run around the authority of the new Charter Schools Review Board, a new proposed policy approved by the N.C. State Board of Education (SBE) may have the effect of tying up funding approvals for charter schools. This legislative session House Bill 618 was passed, which created a Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB) made up of 14 members to replace the current Charter Schools Advisory Board and with the power to
approve or deny charter applications, grant renewals and issue revocations. The bill was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper but became law after successful veto override votes. The proposed policy CHTR022 cites the new law as the SBE retaining its constitutional authority to “establish all rules for the operation and approval of charter schools,” and to “allocate funds to charter schools” in order to “ensure accountability from charter schools for school finances” and student achievement. Per the most recent report to the General Assembly, as of Dec. 1, 2022, there were 206 public charter schools in North CaroliSee CHARTER, page A2
RALEIGH — Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defied convention once again in naming a Supreme Court Justice, elevating Court of Appeals judge Allison Riggs to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Riggs, whose only professional experience before being named to the Court of Appeals was working as a litigator with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, will be the youngest female justice in state history. Riggs will fill the vacancy created by Justice Michael Morgan, who resigned earlier this month. Morgan has opened talks of a run for governor in 2024. “The need for fair-minded, even-handed, honest, experienced judges is more important than ever as our society and our courts wrestle with many critical issues,” Cooper said in a statement Monday. “I am grateful for the willingness of Judge Riggs to serve our state’s judicial system in this new role.” Riggs was the least-tenured member of the Court of Appeals after being named to the appellate court on Dec. 15, 2022. According to her professional biography, Riggs held a variety of positions at the South-
ern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) including co-executive director and chief counsel for voting rights. She was a civil rights litigator and community lawyer who served as lead counsel in numerous voting rights cases. She earned her bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida. Riggs is now reunited with her longtime boss at the SCSJ, Anita Earls, who was elected to the N.C. Supreme Court in 2018. Riggs took over for Earls following that successful campaign. The naming of Riggs to both the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court seat in the span of nine months passed over at least two other Democratic judges currently on the Court of Appeals: Allegra Collins and John Arrowood, the first openly gay judge on the appellate court. Both were elected in 2018. In 2019, Cooper similarly passed over more experienced candidates when allowed to select a new chief justice of the court. He elevated Cheri Beasley to the post, bypassing then-Senior Associate Justice Paul Newby, a Republican, as well as Associate Justice Robin Hudson, a See JUSTICE, page A3
Annual college free speech rankings released Four N.C. schools made the top 25 By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — The College Pulse and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) have released their annual college Free Speech Rankings. The 2024 College Free Speech Rankings are based on “the voices of over 55,000 currently enrolled students at over 250 colleges and are designed to help parents and prospective students choose the right college,” per a press release by the groups. This year’s rankings looked at 248 colleges. Michigan Technology University ranked first this year, followed by Auburn University, the University of New Hampshire,
Oregon State University and Florida State University. Coming in dead last this year was Harvard University, which was the only school given an “abysmal” speech climate rating. Nine North Carolina institutions were included in this year’s rankings, with four landing in the top 25: UNC Greensboro No. 9 NC State No. 11 UNC Charlotte No. 21 East Carolina No. 24 Appalachian State No. 36 Davidson No. 64 Wake Forest No. 88 Duke No. 124 UNC Chapel Hill No. 174 In last year’s report, North Carolina schools making the top 25 included UNC Greensboro (7), NC State (9) and UNC Charlotte (13). Beyond the top 25, UNC Chapel Hill was 26th,
Duke was 109th, Davidson was 116th and Wake Forest was 131st. According to the Free Speech Rankings report, among the schools ranked this year there were 149 scholars sanctioned. UNC Chapel Hill also had the distinction of making the list for being a repeat offender when it comes to sanctioning scholars with four incidents. Six schools earned a “warning” for consistently prioritizing other values over a commitment to free speech and were excluded from the rankings. The schools receiving a warning include Pepperdine University, St. Louis University, Liberty University, Baylor University, Hillsdale College and Brigham Young University. A key detail included in the report is that 21% of students reported the administration’s stance at their school on campus
free speech is not clear. Additionally, “more than a quarter of students (27%) reported that it is unlikely their college administration would defend a speaker’s right to express his or her views if a controversy occurred on campus.” Other key findings from the report include a deplatforming attempt success rate of 81% at schools ranked in the bottom five of the list, 56% of students expressed worry about damaging their reputation because of someone misunderstandSee FREE SPEECH, page A2
5
20177 52016 $2.00
8