A unanimous three-judge panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals has dismissed an appeal from Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration in a legal dispute with media outlets and two left-of-center nonprofit groups over access to public records.
The panel’s ruling specifically rejected McCrory’s argument that appellate judges could consider supporting the governor on the basis of “sovereign immunity.” Judge Linda Stephens’ opinion argues that McCrory’s lawyers failed to raise the sovereign immunity argument properly during the initial trial in the case.
It’s interesting to note that both McCrory and Stephens lost re-election bids last month.
