On Tuesday evening, legislators announced that veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate chambers had reached a compromise to ban elective abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. A group of 10 female legislators—all of whom are Republicans—introduced the bill to the public.
Watch the entire debate with public comment here. The joint legislative Rules Committee spent two hours debating legislation that among other measures would ban abortion after the first trimester of pregnancy with some exceptions, plus spends $160 million on programs including access to birth control, childcare, and other programs. .
Children in grades K-3 in North Carolina have surpassed the rest of the nation when it comes to their early literacy skills. That’s according to NC Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, who shared the news at Tuesday’s Council of State meeting.
A bill that would ban transgender surgeries for minors in North Carolina was hurried through a House committee on Tuesday. House Bill 808, Youth Health Protection Act, prohibits health care workers from providing “surgical gender transition procedures to any individual under 18 years of age.” “If you are under the age of 18 in North...
A unanimous N.C. Court of Appeals panel has affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit challenging removal of a Confederate monument at the Chatham County Courthouse in Pittsboro. Appellate judges ruled that plaintiffs lacked legal standing to file their suit.
In the Carolinas, in particular, much of the war consisted of Patriots and Loyalists raiding, robbing, wounding, or killing each other in regular spasms of violence.
The proposed restriction on chicken ownership in Johnston County's draft UDO would effectively ban roosters outright and cap hens for most people up to 10.
"A republic, if you can keep it. Can you, cousins? Can you?" Lord Daniel Hannan asked the 2026 CLC audience.
The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other States.
On Wednesday, Dave Boliek was sworn in as the new state auditor of North Carolina and announced his hires for senior staff and says he will start work with an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The year 2024 was marked by significant developments across politics, the economy, education, and energy in North Carolina. As one of the nation’s most dynamic and closely watched states, it played a pivotal role in shaping regional and national conversations.
"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."
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.
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.
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses North Carolina’s health care funding challenges linked to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Kokai offered these comments during the Jan. 16, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson discusses the impact of tariffs in North Carolina. A new Locke report from North Carolina State University Professor Jeffrey Dorfman estimates a $695 million negative impact on the state’s farming industry, with 8,000 lost jobs. Bryson offered these comments during the Jan. 13, 2026, edition of Spectrum News 1’s...
Jeff Moore, John Locke Foundation vice president of communications, discusses factors leading to a tax and budget impasse among North Carolina’s legislative leaders. Moore offered these comments during the Jan. 9, 2026, edition of PBS North Carolina’s “State Lines.”
Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst, discusses North Carolina’s open US Senate election in 2026. Kokai offered these comments during the Jan. 1, 2026, edition of C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.”
In this special episode of The Debrief, John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson sits down with Carolina Journal editor Donna King to explore a bold chapter in North Carolina’s revolutionary history: the Edenton Tea Party. They discuss the significance of this early act of political protest and its impact on the American Revolution. For more...
The proposed restriction on chicken ownership in Johnston County's draft UDO would effectively ban roosters outright and cap hens for most people up to 10.
By assessing civics statewide and tracking progress with a standardized benchmark, we could ensure students understand how our history equips them to be informed, engaged citizens.
Let’s all be social-capital investors. The need is great, the potential payoffs huge.
An estimated 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday, and most children who are harmed are abused by someone they know and trust.
What YMCA's Youth and Government program is doing is remarkable. This year’s conference garnered interest from NC state legislators, mayors, policy analysts, and state officials.
Times change. When we introduce IOPL to potential fellows, partners, and donors, some hear the word “political” and think “toxic,” or at least “partisan.”
Like a faith gathering, it incorporated music, fellowship, shared meals, and thoughtful discourse — but with democracy as its central theme.
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...
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...