A fired Asheville police officer can seek a jury trial in his bid to regain his job and back pay. The N.C. Supreme Court unanimously reversed a lower court ruling to allow officer Robert Frost to pursue his case. Frost had been fired in 2014 after being accused of using excessive force against a citizen.
Among the other highlights in the latest batch of N.C. Supreme Court opinions:
- Seven of the 11 rulings were unanimous. The court ruled 6-1 in three cases. The court produced one 5-2 split.
- The Supreme Court’s three Republicans ruled with the majority in every case. Democratic Justices Sam Ervin IV and Robin Hudson also ruled with the majority in every case.
- Justice Cheri Beasley wrote three separate dissents. None of her colleagues joined her dissents.
- Justice Michael Morgan wrote one solo dissent and one dissent joined by Beasley.
- Since the Supreme Court began operating under its current configuration in January 2017, State v. Jacobs marks the first split case in which Beasley and Republican Paul Newby did not end up on opposite sides of a ruling. In this case, Morgan was the lone dissenter.
