On November 10, Republican leaders will go before the state’s highest court to defend their ability to raise North Carolinians’ utility rates.
It’s part of a broader push by NCGA Republicans to seize power away from North Carolina voters and make it harder for them to hold their elected officials accountable. The cases, titled Stein v. Berger and Stein v. Hall, stem from lawsuits brought forward by Gov. Josh Stein.
Stein is challenging state laws that placed new restrictions on his power to fill statewide judicial vacancies and limited his appointments to multiple boards and commissions. But maybe the most consequential outcome of this case will be around appointments to the NC Utilities Commission– the body that helps determine North Carolinians’ utility rates.
The origins of this Supreme Court showdown can be traced back to two years ago. Immediately after the 2024 election, NCGA Republicans passed a power grab bill that allowed their party to take control over the NC Utilities Commission. While the bill was branded as Hurricane Helene relief, it included numerous provisions meant to shift power away from newly-elected Democrats.
In the two years since, the Republican majority on the NC Utilities Commission has entertained rate hike proposals from Duke Energy. North Carolinians’ electric bills are already too high, climbing nearly 30% from 2017 to 2024. Despite being one of the most profitable utility companies in the country, Duke Energy will be raising North Carolinians’ rates again next year by as much as 9%– subject to final approval from the NC Utilities Commission.
Republican leaders in the General Assembly are top recipients of Duke Energy political donations. That investment seems to have paid off, as Republicans have given themselves the power to stack the Utilities Commission with the officials who could green-light Duke’s rate hikes.
This court case is another example of Republican leadership prioritizing politics over public service– and North Carolinians are paying the price. Instead of delivering for working families, Republican leaders have spent 16 years seizing power for themselves, from gerrymandering our electoral maps to stripping power from other elected officials.
On Election Day, North Carolinians sent a crystal-clear message to their elected officials: lower costs, less corruption, more accountability.
One week later, NCGA Republicans are going before the North Carolina Supreme Court to defend their ability to raise your costs, satisfy their donors, and evade accountability.
It’s time for the General Assembly to focus on the mandate from voters to lower costs and deliver for working families, not engage in even more partisan political power grabs at the expense of our state.
Gov. Stein is going to court to return power to the people of our state. Now, it’s the Supreme Court’s responsibility to hold Republican leadership accountable for their corrupt, unconstitutional attempt to subvert the will of the voters.
