law

Criminal convictions are expensive. Court fees, fines, and other costs add up quickly and leave a defendant with crushing debt. And the collateral consequences of a criminal record can be…

Perpetuities and monopolies are contrary to the genius of a free state and shall not be allowed. – North Carolina State Constitution, Article I, Section 34 As I explained in…

Article I, Section 34 of the North Carolina Constitution states: Perpetuities and monopolies are contrary to the genius of a free state and shall not be allowed. Commonly known…

In a Daily Caller piece last week, Philip Hamburger asked, “If Jeff Sessions steps down as attorney general, who will replace him?” With the President’s recent announcement that…

Recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo accidentally self-reported a serious federal violation. He could face a $100,000 fine. See if you can spot it here: “One of the highlight…

Last week I quoted glowing endorsements of Supreme Court nominee Judge Kavanaugh by seven legal experts from across the ideological spectrum. Today, I want to add two more endorsements,…

When President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, I was thrilled. I had read and admired his opinions for years, and, when people asked me what I…

RALEIGH — North Carolina would feel no more pressure to build commercial wind turbines along its mountain ridgelines if lawmakers scrapped their two-year-old renewable energy mandates. That’s the assessment a…

Wind power advocates are pushing for commercial wind turbines along the mountain ridgelines - the mountains and the coast are the only locations where wind is viable in North Carolina. These commercial wind turbines can be as tall as 500 feet or the height of 50-story skyscrapers. The Ridge Law generally prohibits most tall buildings over 40 feet from being built along the ridgelines.

The North Carolina Senate held a special session in mid-September to pass a bill reforming the state’s treatment of medical-malpractice issues. A key element of the legislation — instigating expert review of malpractices claims before trial and imposing a related “loser pays” rule to discourage frivolous lawsuits — would be a welcome improvement. But some of the bill’s other provisions, including price controls and subsidized insurance, are much less attractive.