News

Trial court hearing scheduled Feb. 7 in NC Supreme Court dispute

Wake County’s top Superior Court judge has scheduled a Feb. 7 hearing in Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin’s lawsuits against the State Board of Elections. Griffin challenges more than 65,000 ballots cast in his election against appointed incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs.

CJ Staff
News

Top NC court will hear parents’ case against Charlotte Latin School

The North Carolina Supreme Court will hear a case pitting two parents against a Charlotte private school that expelled their children. A court order Friday confirmed that the state’s top court will hear Doug and Nicole Turpin’s case against Charlotte Latin School.

CJ Staff
News

State lawmakers will visit schools of choice to celebrate National School Choice Week

National School Choice Week kicks off on Sunday, and a variety of events are planned across North Carolina to celebrate educational access. Legislators, students, families, and educators are taking part in a series of school tours and interactive read-alouds to spotlight the diverse educational options available to families in the Tar Heel State. On Jan. 27...

David N. Bass
News

Tillis’ vote sets up late-night tie-breaker to confirm Hegseth

Late Friday evening, North Carolina's Sen. Thom Tillis was the key vote leading to confirmation of Pete Hegseth, 44, as the new US Secretary of Defense. Tillis' "aye" tied the vote, giving newly inaugurated Vice President JD Vance the chance to cast an 11th-hour tie-breaking vote in favor of confirming Hegseth.

CJ Staff

Opinion

Elections

News

Trump nominates Bishop to be deputy director for budget at OMB

"Dan has been a tireless fighter for our MAGA Movement in the House of Representatives on the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees," Trump said in a press release issued Tuesday night. "Dan will implement my cost-cutting and deregulatory agenda across all Agencies, and root out the Weaponized Deep State."

Theresa Opeka
News

Democrats want federal court to address GOP challenge of 60,000 NC ballots

The North Carolina Democratic Party filed a lawsuit Friday to ensure challenges of 60,000 ballots in the state's latest election are addressed in federal court. Republicans filed the challenges with the State Board of Elections. The challenges could affect the outcome of the state Supreme Court race between Democrat Allison Riggs and Jefferson Griffin, along with a handful of state legislative contests.

CJ Staff
News

Griffin asks Appeals Court to order decision on election protests by Tuesday

Republican North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin is turning to North Carolina’s second-highest court for an order that would force state election officials to make a final decision about Griffin’s election protests Tuesday. The State Board of Elections had planned to hear oral arguments about the protests the following day, according to a document Griffin filed Friday with the state Court of Appeals.

CJ Staff

Videos

Video

Locke’s Mitch Kokai analyzes Berger’s election concession

Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses Sen. Phil Berger’s concession in his primary election loss to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. Kokai offered these comments during the March 27, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”

Mitch Kokai
Video

Cooper, King analyze recent polling in NC’s US Senate race

Political scientist Chris Cooper of Western Carolina University and Carolina Journal Editor-in-Chief Donna King discuss recent polls in North Carolina’s 2026 US Senate race. Cooper and King offered these comments during the Jan. 23, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”

Donna King

Culture

Civil Society

Opinion

For healthy civil society, politics needs to stay in its lane

Political and cultural causes are important. They motivate us to make the world around us better and hone our sense of justice. Also, the excitement of fighting the good fight can be, for lack of a better word, fun. But everything has its time and place. And even if we think a particular political issue...

David Larson
Opinion

Flashback: North Carolina’s Easter Monday tradition forged on the baseball diamond

On Good Friday state offices will be closed in North Carolina for Holy Week, along with 10 other states. However, that has not always been the case in North Carolina. The Monday after Easter — rather than Good Friday — was a legal holiday in North Carolina for 52 years, and for many years before...

Dallas Woodhouse