Constitution Day earlier this month reminded us of the importance of the United States’ governing document. Jon Guze, John Locke Foundation director of legal studies, emphasizes constitutional provisions that protect the nation from damaging policies put forward by elected officials. Guze touts the value of these constitutional safeguards. Jesse Helms…
Voters in two N.C. congressional districts headed to the polls for special elections this week. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, analyzes results from the special 3rd District and 9th District races. Henderson looks ahead to possible implications for Republicans and Democrats running in 2020. Political polarization has had major effects…
Gov. Roy Cooper recently signed into law Senate Bill 584. It marks the latest step in an ongoing campaign to fight overcriminalization in North Carolina. Mike Schietzelt, John Locke Foundation criminal justice fellow, explains how the new legislation fits with the goal of cleaning up the state’s overly complicated criminal…
President Trump heads back to North Carolina, one day before voters head to the polls in two special congressional elections. Trump’s trip to Fayetteville is designed to support the campaign of Republican Dan Bishop in the 9th District race. Bishop faces Democrat Dan McCready in a special election resulting from…
President Trump holds slim leads — well within the margin of error — over several major Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential race in North Carolina. That’s according to the latest Civitas Poll. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, analyzes those numbers and other poll highlights. As thousands of college students head…
North Carolina’s system for funding public schools is broken. A more student-centered approach to funding could fix the problem. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation vice president for research and resident scholar, discusses recommendations from a new report that recommends a major overhaul of N.C. public education financing. When most of…
N.C. policymakers recently learned that state government ended its last budget year in June with a revenue surplus of nearly $900 million. Meanwhile, Gov. Roy Cooper wants the state to borrow more money as it increases spending in the new budget year and beyond. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation senior…
Reform of North Carolina’s alcohol regulations has taken a major step forward this year. Gov. Roy Cooper has signed into law measures that ease restrictions on craft brewers and distillers. New laws also make other changes that reduce government barriers for consumers. Rick Henderson, Carolina Journal editor-in-chief, assesses the recent…
New research from Duke University scholars questions Medicaid’s value for the people the health care program was designed to help. The research arrives as the N.C. General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper continue to bicker over Cooper’s proposal to expand Medicaid to several hundred thousand more people in the state.
One of the sticking points in this year’s state budget debate involves the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund, or SCIF. Legislators propose using SCIF instead of a statewide bond to fund school construction projects. Gov. Roy Cooper objects. Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation senior fellow, analyzes the SCIF. He explains…
