Criminal Justice
Multiple new North Carolina laws went into effect on December 1. These laws include:
HB 674, which requires DNA sample collection from those convicted or found not guilty by reason of insanity in domestic violence and assault cases, and
HB 615, which allows judges to temporarily renew domestic violence protection orders.
Fair Representation
Oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case Moore v. Harper, an appeal of a gerrymandering ruling in North Carolina, will take place on Wednesday, December 7. Critics say the case could have a potentially catastrophic national impact if a majority of the justices side with Republicans in the NCGA, who argue that state legislatures’ decisions about election rules can’t be overruled by state courts (the so-called independent state legislature doctrine). In a quote to the News & Observer, Kathay Feng of Common Cause describes Moore v. Harper as “the case of the century.”