The N.C. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Forsyth County property owners and against the state Department of Transportation in a case involving the Map Act. Jon Guze, the John Locke Foundation’s director of legal studies, analyzes the court’s ruling and assesses its significance for property rights in the Tar Heel State. North Carolina recently joined the Right to Try movement. Lawmakers approved legislation that allows patients under some circumstances to use potentially life-saving medications before they have finished navigating federal regulatory requirements. Christina Sandefur, executive vice president of the Goldwater Institute, explains the Right to Try movement and the goal of expanding this option to other states across the country. A $9.5 million price tag for the recent special June 7 primary election prompted another plea from North Carolina election redistricting reformers. They contend the state could have avoided that price tag if lawmakers had adopted a different system for drawing the state’s congressional and legislative election maps. Reformers support legislation that would take the map-drawing process out of the hands of politicians who stand to benefit from the maps. A recent forum in Chapel Hill focused on the role government can play in boosting opportunity through education. Co-sponsored by the Jack Kemp Foundation, the event featured remarks from Kemp’s son Jimmy, plus state and national elected officials and representatives of nonprofit groups supporting public schools. Organizers touted the importance of looking for ways to reduce barriers to opportunity. Some state lawmakers are interested in scrapping North Carolina’s certificate-of-need restrictions by 2021. Katherine Restrepo, JLF’s health and human services policy analyst, testified before the Senate Health Committee to support the proposal. You’ll hear Restrepo’s testimony, along with the comments she would have made if she had been granted more time to speak.