The decision drew sharp dissent. Justice Anita Earls argued that the court was failing to uphold constitutional protections, writing that it appeared “unable or unwilling to meaningfully check constitutional rights violations—particularly those originating from the legislature.”
It’s disgraceful for a Supreme Court candidate to cozy up to a convicted predator in order to further her own ambitions. And it’s a betrayal of public trust.
“Our kids deserve better. A surprise cut of nearly $50 million from rural schools, with virtually no notice and no allegation of misuse, is unlawful and harmful, the Department of Education approved these programs, allowed schools to build them, and now it’s trying to pull the rug out from under dozens of rural communities,” said AG Jeff Jackson.
This year, over thirty states will hold elections for Supreme Court seats. For North Carolina, the stakes are especially high for the upcoming judicial elections, as concerns around public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary are ever-growing.
“North Carolinians have already paid billions in unlawful tariffs – our farmers, our manufacturers, and our communities can’t bear more,” Jackson said in a press release. “I’m taking the federal government to court because they broke the law again, they harmed North Carolinians, and I can prove it.”
“In the last two years alone in North Carolina, we have lost 19,262 teachers to other jobs; we have 7,000 teaching vacancies in the profession right now,” said Bryan Proffitt with NCAE, during the press conference.
The Republican-led North Carolina Board of Elections has recently eliminated voting sites from several university campuses, including NC A&T State University, Western Carolina University, UNC Greensboro, and Elon University.
The stakes are high as a ruling for Leandro could mean that public schools get about $1.7 billion in funding for multiple initiatives, including per-pupil spending and infrastructure. A state budget has not been passed by the Republican-led NC General Assembly, adding insult to injury.
Jackson’s office warned that losing the funding would force schools to shut down programs and could lead to layoffs in the middle of the school year. “Our kids deserve better,” Jackson said in a statement. “A surprise cut of nearly $50 million from rural schools, with virtually no notice and no allegation of misuse, is unlawful and harmful.”
The updated map targets the state’s lone competitive district, over 20 counties in northeastern North Carolina, which has elected Black members of Congress for more than three decades.