Carolina is still picking up the pieces from last year’s Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Chantal, even as communities contend with fresh damage from Hurricane Erin — and state officials warn that federal relief has fallen far short of what’s needed.
Gov. Josh Stein will not appeal a ruling against him in a legal battle over appointment of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol commander. A unanimous three-judge panel ruled against Stein and in favor of state legislative leaders one month ago.
Effective Tuesday July 1, on the 96th anniversary of its founding, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) has officially been elevated to an independent, cabinet-level department, a significant restructuring resulting from the enactment of Senate Bill 382 passed in 2024.
A unanimous three-judge panel has ruled in favor of state legislative leaders and against Gov. Josh Stein in a dispute over appointment of the State Highway Patrol commander. The panel of two Republicans and one Democrat issued its decision Monday afternoon, roughly five hours after hearing oral arguments in the case.
A three-judge panel expects to issue a decision “no later than” Tuesday in the legal dispute pitting North Carolina’s governor against state legislative leaders over appointment of the State Highway Patrol commander. Superior Court Judge Stuart Albright offered that timeline after he and fellow Judges Justin Davis and Matthew Houston heard roughly 70 minutes of arguments Monday morning.
A three-judge Superior Court panel will hear arguments next week in a dispute over the appointment of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol commander. Parties in the legal battle filed competing briefs Monday.
Gov. Josh Stein, state legislative leaders, and North Carolina Highway Patrol commander Freddy Johnson all hope a three-judge panel will rule in their favor in Stein’s challenge of a 2024 state law. All three parties submitted motions Tuesday seeking summary judgment in the case.
The North Carolina Court of Appeals will allow the mother of an East Carolina University student killed in a 2020 car crash to pursue a lawsuit against the State Highway Patrol trooper who caused the accident. The 2-1 Appeals Court decision Tuesday reversed a trial judge’s ruling favoring Trooper Omar Romero Mendoza.
Outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper and his successor, Governor-elect Josh Stein, are seeking an injunction to block a new state law that would prevent Stein from appointing a new State Highway Patrol commander. Cooper and Stein filed paperwork Tuesday to stop the shift while their lawsuit proceeds against state legislative leaders.
Governor-elect Josh Stein and outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper are going to court to block changes to control of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol's top leadership post. Those changes are spelled out in Senate Bill 382, enacted into law Wednesday after state lawmakers voted to override Cooper’s veto of the bill.
The North Carolina Court of Appeals has rejected a state agency’s request for an order against a Highway Patrol trooper who was fired for actions related to an incident involving roadside drugs. A unanimous three-judge Appeals Court panel denied a request from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission for a writ of supersedeas. The writ would have blocked a lower court order favoring trooper Joe Locklear.
