Carolina Journal’s Barry Smith reports on Wake County Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood’s ruling, which defends the status quo in Big Education policy, and reaction from Senate Leader Phil Berger, who is pushing back.

The leader of the state Senate promised fast action to appeal a Wake County Superior Court judge’s decision halting the General Assembly’s plans to end teacher tenure. Meantime, the head of the state’s largest teacher association, which brought the lawsuit challenging the end of career status, was delighted with the opinion.

Judge Robert Hobgood on Friday ruled that the law ending tenure, passed last year as a part of the state’s budget, amounted to an illegal taking of property and violated the Contracts Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, who spearheaded the law through the General Assembly as a part of the Excellent Public Schools Act of 2013, scolded Hobgood for the decision.

“Today a single Wake County judge suppressed the will of voters statewide who elected representatives to improve public education and reward our best teachers with raises,” Berger said in a statement. “This is a classic case of judicial activism, and we will move quickly to appeal this disappointing decision.”

North Carolina’s teacher union is — of course — very happy with the decision.