Opinion Roundup: Partisan redistricting, teacher rallies, college admissions cheating scandal and more

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Supreme Court hears arguments over partisan redistricting, NC Senate votes to ban female genital mutilation, Duke University pays $112M to settle faked-research lawsuit, another teacher rally at legislature planned and more.

CULLEN BROWDER: NC partisan gerrymandering case before US Supreme Court (WRAL-TV reports) -- Questions over how North Carolina's congressional map was drawn could help set national legal precedent.

NINA TOTENBERG: The Supreme Court Takes Another Look At Partisan Redistricting (NPR reports) -- A pivotal retirement and a new conservative majority could give the state legislatures a green light for even more partisanship when it comes to drawing political boundaries.

ADAM LIPTAK: Supreme Court Set to Again Weigh Voting Maps Warped by Politics -- (New York Times reports) -- The Supreme Court returns to the subject of partisan gerrymandering, considering for a second time in two years whether drawing election maps to help the party in power can ever violate the Constitution.

U.S. High Court to Hear Historic Electoral Map Manipulation Cases (Reuters reports) -- In two cases that could reverberate through U.S. politics for years to come, the Supreme Court is set on Tuesday to hear arguments over the contentious practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to entrench one party in power.

MARK SHERMAN: Supreme Court hears arguments over partisan redistricting (AP reports) -- The Supreme Court is returning to arguments over whether the political task of redistricting can be overly partisan. The cases at the high court mark the second time in consecutive terms the justices will see if they can set limits on drawing districts for partisan gain. Or the court could rule that federal judges should not referee disputes over districts designed to benefit one political party. Democrats and Republicans eagerly await the outcome of cases from Maryland and North Carolina because a new round of redistricting will follow the 2020 census, and the decision could help shape the makeup of Congress and state legislatures over the next decade.

DAVID RIVKIN JR. & RICHARD RAILE: Gerrymandering Disputes Don’t Belong in Court (Wall Street Journal column) -- The Framers left it to the legislative branch to draw district lines—and didn’t anticipate political parties.

A Gerrymander Mulligan (Wall Street Journal) -- The Supreme Court should keep judges out of political redistricting.

WILL DORAN & BRIAN MURPHY: As Supreme Court takes up gerrymandering, NC politicians battle in the national media (Charlotte Observer reports) -- The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on whether NC has again violated its residents’ constitutional rights through gerrymandering. And on Sunday and Monday, in the lead-up to the arguments in the case, some of NC’s most influential politicians tried to sway national audiences in the court of public opinion.

Judges work through pretrial challenges in remapping suit (AP reports) -- A judicial panel ruled state Republican legislators can avoid testifying for an upcoming redistricting trial over state legislative maps.

TRAVIS FAIN: Court sides with Common Cause over legislative privilege (WRAL-TV reports) -- Legislative leadership sought to avoid depositions, then some of them didn't. The legislators who asserted privilege in the case are: Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell; Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett; Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham; Speaker of the House Tim Moore, R-Cleveland; state Sen. Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg; state Sen. John Alexander, R-Wake; former state Sen. Trudy Wade, R-Guilford; former state Rep. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake; former state Sen. Wesley Meredith, R-Cumberland; former state Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg; Two staffers also asserted privilege: Mark Coggins, who works in Lewis' office, and Jim Blaine, who was Berger's chief of staff until last year, when he went into the private sector.

LAURA LESLIE: Another teacher rally at legislature planned (WRAL-TV reports) -- A year after flooding downtown Raleigh to demand more support for public schools from state lawmakers, teachers are planning a similar rally this May.

NC teachers' group plan another May rally (AP reports) -- NC Association of Educators President Mark Jewell confirmed on Monday the group will hold a public education "Day of Action" for May 1 in Raleigh.

TRAVIS FAIN: NC Senate votes to ban female genital mutilation (WRAL-TV reports) -- Vote was unanimous, bill moves to House.

Genital mutilation ban bill passes in state Senate (AP reports) -- North Carolina law would make it a severe felony for someone to perform female genital mutilation on a child under a measure advancing at the General Assembly.

State legislators overreaching, again (Greensboro News & Record) -- This year’s legislature, with its many new faces, seems poised to finally tackle some of the state’s most pressing problems, including opioid addiction and access to health insurance. But some veteran legislators just can’t stop their old habit of reaching too far on contentious issues.

Dems need stronger turnout to win upcoming elections (Elizabeth City Daily Advance reports) -- Area Democrats called for more voter participation if they hope to win key upcoming elections.

JOE FISHER: 1 inmate remains at large after 5 escape from Nash County jail (WRAL-TV reports) -- Five inmates have escaped from the Nash County Detention Center prompting a massive manhunt, according to Sheriff Keith Stone.

MARK PRICE & JANE WESTER: Shoot first, ask questions later,’ yell protesters after Charlotte officer kills man (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Protests broke out Monday at the scene where an allegedly armed man was shot and killed during an encounter with a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer. Tension centered on whether the man who died — 27-year-old Danquirs Napoleon Franklin — was armed at the time of the shooting.

ANNA DOUGLAS & TEO ARMUS: Pizzeria boycotted after activist worker fired over Trump feud (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A Charlotte restaurant has faced boycotts in the past week after a fight escalated between a pro-Trump group and a former employee who is a political activist. “It’s like a little microcosm of where we are in this country,” says Will Bigham, owner of Pizza Peel in Plaza Midwood.

VIRGINIA BRIDGES: 1 in 7 NC drivers has a suspended license. What should the state do about them? (Durham-Herald Sun reports) -- For about 10 years, Diana Powell lived in fear of getting pulled over as she picked her children up from school or went to a doctor’s appointment. “Every time I saw a police officer come behind me, I would get nervous, sweating,” she said.

TAMMY GRUBB: 2 cities put light rail near hospitals, like the plan that worries Duke. Here’s what happened (Durham-Herald Sun reports) -- The Durham-Orange light-rail project could come to a head this week as a deadline nears for seeking $1.24 billion from the Federal Transit Administration.

No settling this until we all can read Mueller’s report (Fayetteville Observer) -- The spin arrived fast, furiously and with almost comic predictability. President Trump was crowing about total exoneration, even as his lawyers had barely cracked open special counsel Robert Mueller’s lengthy and detailed report on his more than two-year investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 American elections and whether the president or anyone in his campaign had colluded with the Russians.

GREG WEINER: Our Constitutional Emergency (New York Times reports) -- As the House attempts to override President Trump’s first veto, we the people aren’t holding up our end of the bargain, either. As many observers have noted, the Republican senators who criticized the emergency declaration and then voted to uphold it — Thom Tillis of NC, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina foremost among them — all face re-election in 2020.

EMERY DALESIO: Duke University pays $112M to settle faked-research lawsuit (AP reports) -- Duke University will pay $112 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit after federal prosecutors said a research technician's fake data landed millions of dollars in federal grants, the school and the government said.

MATTHEW BURNS: Duke to pay government $112.5M for using fake data to obtain research grants (WRAL reports) -- Officials said the alleged misconduct occurred from 2006 to 2013, when Duke officials fired Erin Potts-Kant, the technician accused of fabricating the data, for embezzling grant funds from the university over the same period.

BRAD JOHANSEN: On the Record: A look at student dress codes in Wake County, college entrance scam (WRAL reports) -- WRAL goes "On the Record" to take a closer look at student dress codes in Wake County and what the current college entrance scam means for NC.

BRUCE HENDERSON: CMS equity policy aims to level the playing field for all students (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools committee approved a draft policy Monday that aims to break the linkages between student achievement and social-economic status, race and ethnicity. The equity policy, as it is called, will be the subject of two public hearings, with the first on April 23, before it goes to the full CMS board for approval.

ED WILLIAMS: Money influencing admission? At Duke, that’s nothing new (Charlotte Observer column) -- The scandal involving rich parents who hired specialists to cheat their kids into prestigious colleges is further evidence that some rich parents are corrupt and stupid. A smarter course would have been to skip the sleazy middleman and deal directly with the schools.

MELISSA KORN & MICHELLE HACKMAN: Education Department Investigates Colleges Named in Admissions Cheating Scandal (Wall Street Journal reports) -- The U.S. Department of Education has opened preliminary investigations into eight universities whose athletic coaches were allegedly part of the college-admissions cheating scheme being prosecuted by the Justice Department. The University of Texas at Austin and Wake Forest University in NC were among the list.

ALANNA DURKIN RICHER: Coaches, others plead not guilty in college admissions scam (AP reports) -- William “Bill” Ferguson, Wake Forest University’s former women’s volleyball coach, pleaded not guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering in U.S. District Court in Boston in a national college bribery admissions scheme. Ferguson joined 11 other defendants who also pleaded not guilty to taking bribes from wealthy parents in exchange for helping students get into elite universities such as Georgetown.

COLIN CAMPBELL: Education Board nominees (The Insider reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper has sent the legislature two nominees for the State Board of Education. Cooper wants Donna Tipton-Rogers to serve as the board's representative for the western end of the state, replacing Wayne McDevitt, who has been continuing to serve on a term that expired in 2017. Tipton-Rogers lives in Cherokee County and serves as president and CEO of Tri-County Community College in Murphy. For the at-large seat currently held by Patricia Willoughby, Cooper has nominated James Hall of Ahoskie, a retired school superintendent who has worked in several districts in northeastern North Carolina.

TYLER STOCKS: Search underway for interim ECU chancellor (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- ECU’s interim chancellor should be a person with gravitas, one who is well-known and knows the university well, the UNC system’s interim president said during a visit to Greenville on Monday. Bill Roper met with the East Carolina University Board of Trustees.

MATT RICHMOND: With No National Standards, Policies For Arming Teachers Are Often Left To Local School Districts (WUNC-FM reports) -- Teachers or other school staff in districts in 31 states can legally carry weapons in schools, according to a review of state laws and local news coverage by Guns & America. In 5 states — Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and South Dakota — teachers or other school staff are explicitly authorized by state law to carry firearms in schools, according to a report by the Education Commission of the States . Another 26 states leave approval, policies and training requirements up to local school districts.

KACEY CUNNINGHAM: 'Be proud of being Hispanic': Student advocates head to DC to meet with lawmakers (WRAL-TV reports) -- Students from Raleigh's Hispanic community headed to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers for the next two days.

KATHY HANRAHAN: Chatham County bus driver gives $100 to students with straight A's (WRAL-TV reports) -- Clarissa Neal, who drives bus 198 for Northwood High School in Pittsboro, showed her students that good grades do pay off.

MANDY MITCHELL: Compassion, understanding improve emergency care for the mentally ill at UNC Hospitals (WRAL-TV reports) -- UNC Hospitals has made changes to its emergency department that are helping families dealing with mental illness.

GREG BARNES: State eyes consolidation of aging rural water and sewer systems (N.C. Health News) -- Gov. Roy Cooper’s proposed bond issue would provide $800 million for water and sewer systems across North Carolina. State officials say some of that money could be used to consolidate struggling rural systems.

DANA SARGENT & ANN COLLEY: NC has a chance to cut hog waste pollution (Durham-Herald Sun reports) -- People everywhere watched helplessly last fall as hurricanes Florence and Michael pounded NC with a record 8 trillion gallons of rain that flooded hog waste lagoons and spilled their toxic content into our rivers, streams and wetlands.

Clean Energy Plan listening session at FSU (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- Residents can give state officials their opinions at 1 p.m. today at a meeting on development of a Clean Energy Plan. The Clean Energy Plan is expected to be part of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order 80, according to a statement released Monday by state officials.

Daniel: Reforms would rebuild depleted fish stocks (Elizabeth City Daily Advance reports) -- A former director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries asked a local wildlife group last week to seek state lawmakers’ support for three proposed fishing regulations aimed at rebuilding depleted fish stocks.

JENNIFER ALLEN: Bogue Banks Sand Project Nears Final Leg (Coastal Review Online reports) -- The $20 million, post-Florence renourishment of beaches on Bogue Banks should be completed by April 30, just ahead of the busy tourist season, but damaged public beach accesses may not be repaired as quickly.

ANTIONETTE KERR: Documentary Highlights Fight to Save Endangered Bats (Public News Service reports) -- Bats are among the most misunderstood mammals, and a documentary showing at The Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum next month celebrates a conservation victory for one endangered bat species.