Neighbors on Call’s NC Policy Update for 12/05/22

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.”