Will Doran Profile picture
Jan 20 2 tweets 1 min read
After 8+ amazing years at the @newsobserver this will be my last month at the paper.

It’s bittersweet. I’ve loved this job, but am also very excited about what’s next!

More on that later (but for all my #ncpol followers, trust that you’ll still see plenty from me in the future)
I've exposed dubious ethical practices--and even criminal investigations--involving some of our state's most powerful leaders.

I've fact-checked countless lies.

I've connected the dots on money and influence in state politics.

And I'm going to keep doing all of that, and more!

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More from @will_doran

Jan 18
Stein's video starts w/ his dad's law firm--bombed in 1971 (they won a SCOTUS case forcing NC schools to finally de-segregate)

He then shows GOP Lt Gov. Mark Robinson, a likely 2024 candidate

Stein: "Today there’s a different set of bomb throwers" #ncpol newsobserver.com/news/politics-…
Most campaign kickoff videos are pure fluff about the candidate. They rarely attack opponents, let alone show clips of them.

Stein takes a much more aggressive approach here--especially since Robinson hasn't formally announced yet (although he has said he's considering) #ncpol
Stein doesn't address this aspect of a potential matchup in the ad. But he's Jewish, and Robinson has publicly endorsed anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories over the years, including during his 2020 campaign. #ncpol ImageImage
Read 8 tweets
Sep 7, 2022
In a rare move, the group of all 50 states' Supreme Court chief justices wrote to SCOTUS, urging them to shoot down the argument NC Republican lawmakers are making--that there should be no checks and balances for election laws--in their "Independent State Legislature" case #ncpol
The brief is careful to say it doesn't support either party. But its first sentence (left photo) directly opposes the argument NC lawmakers made (right photo) about whether or not courts should be allowed to rule on redistricting maps, etc.

Link is here: supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/2…
Here's my story from when SCOTUS agreed to take up the NC case in time for the 2024 elections, and what it could mean for the entire country: newsobserver.com/news/politics-… #ncpol
Read 5 tweets
Aug 16, 2022
Odd ruling by the NC Court of Appeals today: A 3-judge panel let an "alienation of affection" lawsuit move forward...but all 3 judges wrote separately, two of whom argued over whether the law is constitutional (an issue the lawsuit itself doesn't appear to have raised) #ncpol
Alienation of affection is the fancy legal term for "being a homewrecker." If your spouse has an affair and you get divorced, that law lets you sue the person they slept with.

Sometimes the verdicts can be *massive* like @joshshaffer08 wrote here newsobserver.com/latest-news/ar… #ncpol
The basis for the law is that women used to be legally considered the property of their husbands, like slaves or horses.

The modern-day question is whether the law is still unacceptably misogynistic, or if the fact that both sexes can now files these lawsuits makes them OK
Read 5 tweets
Aug 10, 2022
New: @NCDemParty wants a criminal investigation into AG Josh Stein's 2020 opponent, Jim O'Neill, since yesterday a judge greenlit an investigation of Stein's campaign

They say the Stein action is unconstitutional--but if it's happening, O'Neill should be investigated too. #ncpol ImageImage
Here's my story on yesterday's ruling against the Stein campaign, letting the investigation move forward, ICYMI: newsobserver.com/news/politics-… #ncpol
And the story from when Stein sued Wake County DA Lorrin Freeman and the NC Elections Board last month, trying to get the law thrown out as unconstitutional (and, in the process, revealing the then-secret criminal investigation into his campaign): newsobserver.com/news/politics-… #ncpol
Read 5 tweets
Aug 9, 2022
A criminal investigation into AG Josh Stein's 2020 campaign can go on, a federal judge just ruled, reversing her earlier decision to halt the investigation: newsobserver.com/news/politics-…

She adds that Wake County DA Lorrin Freeman "expects to present testimony to a grand jury" #ncpol
The investigation is based on a never-before-used 1930s law making it a crime to say false things about politicians. Stein and others argue it's unconstitutional, but the judge disagrees.

I imagine this will be appealed, but no official word yet. #ncpol newsobserver.com/news/politics-…
Despite the 1st Amendment, ruling says, the law is acceptable because:

"False malicious defamatory speech can be 'used as an effective political tool to unseat the public servant or even topple an administration' and can lead to volatile, unstable, and even violent results"
Read 5 tweets
Jul 20, 2022
Today @dawnbvaughan and I published several articles looking more deeply into the new #ncpol state budget 🧵

✅ Why it prioritized the Rainy Day Fund (instead of tax cuts or extra spending)

✅ Millions in pork projects

✅ The public had no chance to even try offering input
Inflation concerns have North Carolina lawmakers wanting to learn lessons from 2009, and make sure the state has billions in savings in case of another recession #ncpol #ncga newsobserver.com/news/politics-…
The new budget doesn’t put all of NC’s excess revenue into savings. There are 1% or 2% raises for teachers and state employees on top of raises already planned, for example.

And then there’s the pork.

My analysis? It’s good to be in charge. #ncpol newsobserver.com/news/politics-…
Read 5 tweets

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