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Judge rejects state motion to dismiss foster care mental health lawsuit

A federal judge has denied North Carolina state officials’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the state’s use of in-patient psychiatric treatment for children in foster care. Plaintiffs filed a class-action lawsuit in December 2022. Critics want the state to shift its focus away from the treatment centers to provide more support services in the children’s home communities.

CJ Staff
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Kinsley objects to latest request in federal suit over NC foster children’s mental health

The head of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services urges a federal court not to speed up a lawsuit dealing with foster children’s mental health issues. State lawyers filed a motion Friday objecting to a pretrial conference and scheduling order in the case.

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ACLU, Institute for Justice join debate over NC Supreme Court’s Ace Speedway case

The N.C. Supreme Court issued orders Monday allowing attorneys from both the ACLU and Institute for Justice to file briefs supporting Ace Speedway in its legal fight against the state’s top health official. State Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley is urging the high court to reverse the state Court of Appeals. A unanimous appellate panel ruled in August 2022 that speedway owners could pursue a lawsuit against Kinsley over a forced shutdown in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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New NC Supreme Court filing offers reminder of Cohen’s role in Ace Speedway shutdown

A day after Mandy Cohen’s name surfaced as the likely nominee to lead a top federal health agency, a new brief filed at the N.C. Supreme Court discusses her role in shutting down an Alamance County racetrack during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owners of Ace Speedway filed the brief Friday in a case the state’s highest court is expected to review this year.

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Local NC health directors back Kinsley in Ace Speedway legal battle

A group representing North Carolina’s county health directors is supporting the state’s top health official in a legal battle at the N.C. Supreme Court. The case pits Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley against owners of Alamance County-based Ace Speedway.

CJ Staff

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Federal government steps into lawsuit dealing with NC foster children’s mental health

The U.S. attorney in Greensboro has signaled interest in a federal lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s treatment of foster children’s mental health. U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston’s office filed a statement of interest in the case Friday. The statement arrived one month after N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley asked a federal judge to dismiss the suit.

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Kinsley urges federal court to kill suit targeting foster children’s mental health

The head of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services is urging a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit targeting mental health services for foster children. DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley filed paperwork Monday supporting dismissal.

CJ Staff
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State wants N.C. Supreme Court to overturn Ace Speedway’s win in COVID shutdown dispute

The state’s top health official is asking the N.C. Supreme Court to reverse a unanimous Appeals Court ruling against him. Appellate judges determined that owners of an Alamance County racetrack could sue the official over a COVID-related shutdown in 2020.

CJ Staff
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State of emergency continues with new ways to measure COVID

Gov. Roy Cooper said North Carolina’s state of emergency will continue, despite declining COVID numbers. The announcement came during a news conference Thursday, March 17, announcing new guidelines to measure COVID-19 levels. Cooper has shifted responsibility for dealing with the pandemic to the General Assembly. He explained the move like this: “It’s a legal tool...

Theresa Opeka