As National School Choice Week approaches, it’s a good time to highlight the growth of parental school choice in North Carolina. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation vice president for research and director of education studies, sifts through the data. Stoops explains why more and more parents are opting for alternatives to traditional district schools. The libertarian Cato Institute has taken an interest in North Carolina’s campaign to reform the state’s criminal laws. Jay Schweikert, policy analyst with Cato’s Project on Criminal Justice, explains why his group focuses its attention on reform. Cato and the John Locke Foundation hosted a recent summit highlighting reform efforts. The nation’s longest-running U.S. District Court vacancy has been filled after 14 years. As U.S. senators voted to confirm Richard Myers as the newest judge for North Carolina’s Eastern District, Senior N.C. Sen. Richard Burr praised Myers as he explained his “yes” vote. One of the University of North Carolina System’s most vocal internal critics turned his attention recently to “social justice” on campus. UNC-Wilmington criminology Professor Mike Adams shared personal anecdotes and highlighted the larger negative impact of social justice on the academic pursuit of truth. As the 2020 N.C. election season begins, a “Locker Room Talk” segment focuses on two important election-related developments. First, a federal judge has blocked the state from implementing its new voter ID law. Second, the State Board of Elections has ruled against the state Republican Party and allowed candidates William Weld and Joe Walsh to challenge Donald Trump on the GOP presidential primary ballot.