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Elections & Public Integrity
The Sixteen Thirty Fund: a conduit of outside money into North Carolina politics
On May 5, the John Locke Foundation profiled Arabella Advisors, the “godfather of the left’s dark money.” One of the largest organizations in the Arabella network is the Sixteen Thirty…
Agriculture
When steel gets costly, so does dinner
President Donald Trump’s return to office has revived one of his most controversial economic weapons: tariffs. Framed as a patriotic strategy to protect American manufacturing, especially the steel industry, Trump’s…
Health Care
State budget discussions should include CON repeal
While the main budgetary sticking point between the House and Senate is their differences on tax reform, there’s an important issue that could go a long way toward making healthcare…
Law & Public Safety
Deja vu all over again?
I hope I’m wrong, but the anti-ICE riots in LA and other cities are distrubingly similar to the anti-police riots that did so much harm in 2020. With that in…
Elections & Public Integrity
County election board mismanagement underscores the need for performance audits
The John Locke Foundation published a research brief in February calling for North Carolina to adopt election performance audits (also called procedural audits). Audits that review the vote totals, while…
Education
Need funding for your microschool?
Microschools are one of the one of the newest and most creative ways to deliver educational services. Microschools are small often community-centered learning environments that are revolutionizing education by launching…
Regulation
Senate improves the REINS Act with legislative ratification
The Carolina Journal’s Brianna Kraemer reports on an encouraging development in House Bill 402, the NC REINS Act. It’s not just that the bill, which has already passed the House,…
Research Brief
Budget, Taxation & Economy
Discussing some overlooked aspects of Trump’s tariff defeat
On May 28, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled in favor of the challengers in two cases challenging some of President Donald Trump’s tariff…
Elections & Public Integrity
Further impacts of the Griffin legal challenge
For much of the first half of 2025, Jefferson Griffin’s challenge to several of the state’s election laws took most of the air out of the election space. While a…
Law & Public Safety
Why won’t the Supreme Court enforce its Second Amendment precedents?
So-called “assault weapons,” including particularly AR-15s and similar lightweight semiautomatic rifles, have long been the target of gun control legislation. As I have explained in the past, the Supreme Court’s 2008…
Education
HVAC study for Wake County Public Schools: A bad idea at a bad time
Every budget contains provisions that are odious and repugnant. So it’s no surprise to know that there are stinkers in the House budget. Tucked away on page 130 of the…
Budget, Taxation & Economy
After the storm: Will Stein follow Cooper or forge his own path?
The Helene recovery is possibly the most formidable challenge facing Gov. Josh Stein. To be successful, he must distinguish himself from former Gov. Roy Cooper’s failures in the Matthew and…