A serious measles outbreak is underway in the United States. The outbreak began in late December in California and has since spread to other states. As of this morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 84 confirmed … Read more

Two recent lawsuits have drawn attention as the first to be subject to a new state law treating some constitutional challenges differently from other lawsuits. The first case was brought by the town of Boone, seeking to invalidate a legislative … Read more

Last month when the federal courts opened the door to same-sex marriages in North Carolina there was a rush to courthouses, where magistrates are the only state officials authorized to perform marriage ceremonies. Some magistrates, because of their religious beliefs, … Read more

Just over a month ago, the first case of Ebola virus disease to be diagnosed in the United States occurred in Dallas, Texas. It was considered an “imported” case, meaning that the infected individual, Thomas Eric Duncan, contracted the virus … Read more

[Update 2: See my October 31 post for information about the law of isolation and quarantine in North Carolina, and for resources for more information about the 2014 Ebola epidemic.] [Update: On September 30, the CDC announced that a case of Ebola … Read more

In July John Martin, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals, announced his retirement effective August 1st. Given the timing of his decision, state law requires an election in November to fill the seat but no primary in advance … Read more

This is the second of two posts on the regulation of electronic cigarettes and other vapor products in North Carolina. Part 1 addressed federal and state regulation. Now it’s time to talk about local regulation. This post focuses specifically on … Read more

UPDATE: The 2014 Technical Corrections Act (S.L. 2014-115) made further changes to state regulation of vapor products in correctional facilities. An updated summary of 2014 legislation on this issue is available here.  If you watch television commercials or consume any … Read more

In the summer of 2012, the General Assembly enacted a law that authorized boards of county commissioners in North Carolina to consolidate county human services departments and boards. In the months since, twenty counties have taken actions under G.S. 153A-77. … Read more

For the last 30 years North Carolina, like most states, has been making it easier to register and vote. In the early 1980s the only way you could register was to go before an official of the local board of … Read more