By ,
Caitlyn Yaede, correspondent and
Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Caitlyn Yaede.
A North Carolina court ruled that Gov. Josh Stein can retain power over the state election boards — for now.
Kyle Ingram has the details on the 2-1 ruling from Wake County Superior Court that came down Wednesday, blocking a GOP-led bill that would have transferred control over the election boards to the state auditor. The court said in its opinion that the bill violated the state constitution.
If a court had not intervened, Dave Boliek was slated to assume control of the boards on May 1. Still, this decision is likely to be appealed to the state’s Republican-controlled appellate courts.
LETTER QUESTIONS TRUMP’S ATTACK ON DEI IN SCHOOLS
Today is the deadline set by the U.S. Department of Education for public schools to pledge that they are not using diversity, equity and inclusion programs — or risk their federal funding. The Trump administration has said that such programs violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
State Superintendent Mo Green shared Wednesday that all 115 districts and the Department of Public Instruction have signed onto the pledge. But he does not believe that the Department of Education has the power to prohibit DEI programs, he said in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
North Carolina receives $1.1 billion annually from the federal government for education.
This pushback to federal policy comes as the General Assembly is attempting a DEI ban of its own in schools, as well as restrictions on talk of sexism and racism in the classroom. Lawmakers are also considering a bill that would eliminate DEI programs in state and local governments.
T. Keung Hui has more on why North Carolina schools signed onto the pledge and the state of DEI in Wake County, where the Office of Equity Affairs will continue its work.
ROCKY MOUNT MAYOR TO RUN FOR NC’S 1ST DISTRICT
Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson announced his candidacy Wednesday for Congress, where he hopes to represent North Carolina’s 1st District. This is Roberson’s second bid for the seat, after being runner-up in the 2022 Republican primary.
A Republican hasn’t won the district since 1883, but its boundaries have shifted, and it’s now a swing district.
The Republican mayor and Trump ally vowed in a news release to “stand with President Trump to secure our border, stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into our region, and unleash the American economy to benefit the citizens of North Carolina’s First District.”
Roberson has served two terms as mayor since being elected in 2019, and is also CEO of HealthView Capital Partners.
If he’s successful in the 2026 Republican primary, Roberson will campaign against Democrat Don Davis. Davis who was elected to his second term in the district last year, defeating Laurie Buckhout in a close race. Buckhout has endorsed Roberson’s campaign.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE WORKING ON
- Long-awaited federal recognition for North Carolina’s Lumbee tribe and its 55,000 members could come soon, Danielle Battaglia and Border Belt Independent’s Sarah Nagem report. The Department of the Interior is expected to release a report, ordered by President Donald Trump within days of taking office, detailing the paths to federal recognition for the Lumbee tribe. At the same time, Sen. Thom Tillis is working to advance the Lumbee Fairness Act, which would make the Lumbee tribe the 575th federally recognized tribe. The distinction would open the tribe up to federal funding it has been denied for more than a century, after a 1956 law granted only partial recognition.
- The Charlotte Observer’s Nora O’Neill has an update on the controversy in Cabarrus County, where newly appointed county commissioner Lamarie Austin-Stripling has yet to take the oath of office. On Wednesday, a judge blocked Austin-Stripling’s appointment while a lawsuit continues.. Joe Marusak first reported on Austin-Stripling’s appointment earlier this month, which Cabarrus Citizens for Government Integrity says happened illegally.
- The Department of Education announced this week that it will soon be collecting on defaulted student loan payments. The average college graduate in North Carolina, according to Education Data Initiative, has more than $38,700 in student loan debt. David Raynor and The Sacramento Bee’s David Lightman break down what this federal crackdown could mean for North Carolina borrowers.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING
After opting out of an in-person town hall — and reportedly advising other House Republicans not to hold town halls — Rep. Richard Hudson is facing fire from North Carolina Democrats, who plan to rally in his district today. Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, spoke against Trump’s call to deport U.S. citizens, but declined to do so in person, hosting a telephone town hall on Tuesday, NOTUS’ Calen Razor reports. Democrats, like Connecticut’s Sen. Chris Murphy, Florida’s Rep. Maxwell Frost and North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton, are slated to speak at today’s event in Alamance County.
Today’s newsletter was by Caitlyn Yaede. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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