Rep. Sarah Stevens (R-Surry) is making headlines as lobbyists donated thousands of dollars to her 2026 North Carolina Supreme Court campaign, which is a violation of North Carolina law.
At stake, she stressed, is whether someone can cast a ballot and feel confident it will count. “Instead, it will depend on whether partisan politicians have enough money to throw at a race to litigate the outcome after the fact,” Riggs said. She went on to share that in total, defending her election victory in court cost roughly $2 million.
“National reports indicate that the U.S. Department of Education has backed down and is releasing all frozen funds — $6.8 billion nationwide, including $165 million for North Carolina — after we filed suit last week. This should end weeks of uncertainty — our schools can now plan, hire, and prepare for a strong year ahead. My absolute best wishes to our state’s 1.5 million students who are ready to make this their best year yet,” said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green, in a statement.
The newly formed statewide coalition is made up of voting rights advocates, community leaders, voters, and progressive groups who are highlighting “the corruption of the Newby-Berger court”, according to the group’s press release.
Attorney General Jackson called BRIC “a lifeline for our towns and cities trying to make sure every resident has clean and reliable water to drink, a functioning sewage system, and measures in place to prevent the next storm from devastating their communities.”
The plaintiffs argue that the maps were designed in a way that Black voters in counties such as Guilford, Forsyth, and Mecklenburg were drawn into districts where the vast majority of voters were white rural residents who do not share their political views, thus diluting the Black voters’ voice in elections. They are looking for the courts to rule that the maps are unconstitutional.
“People deserve the peace of mind that their genetic information – some of the most personal data they have – is protected,” said Jackson. “I’m pleased that this data will not go to another for-profit company and that we were able to do more to protect people’s data from being used without their consent.”
The lawsuits claim that lines are so skewed for GOP candidates that many Black voters cannot elect their preferred candidates, violating the Voting Rights Act. They allege the mapmakers at times submerged or spread out Black voting blocs, which historically have favored Democrats, into surrounding districts with White majorities — benefiting Republicans.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson has secured a win for North Carolinians frustrated with nonstop spam calls. In response to a lawsuit filed by North Carolina and 7 other states, a court barred John Spiller, owner of several telemarketing agencies, from operating in the telecommunications industry. The court also ordered the prominent robocaller to pay more than $600,000 to offset the costs of the lawsuit to impacted states.
Stein called the legislation a “threat to democracy,” suing to block both sections of the bill. Both suits are pending in state courts, but in the meantime, the North Carolina State Board of Elections is under new Republican leadership.