Eleanore Wood

Washington Post: North Carolina Republicans’ long track record of unconstitutional laws

By Eleanore Wood / August 30, 2018 / Comments Off on Washington Post: North Carolina Republicans’ long track record of unconstitutional laws

The North Carolina legislature continues to try to subvert the will of the people with extreme partisan gerrymandering, unfair voting laws, and attempts to rig our courts. So far courts have found all these attempts to be unconstitutional. Now, the GOP led General Assembly is trying to trick voters into putting these unfair laws into…

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The New York Times: A Leader in the War on Poverty Opens a New Front: Pollution

By Eleanore Wood / August 28, 2018 / Comments Off on The New York Times: A Leader in the War on Poverty Opens a New Front: Pollution

Environmental justice has strong ties to economic and racial justice. Poor people, people of color, and people living in rural areas are disproportionately affected by climate change. In Forsyth County, coal ash from Belews Creek Steam Station is polluting drinking water and affecting the health of local residents. Belews Creek is a predominantly black community…

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The News & Observer: Cooper to legislators: ‘Expect further legal action’ on constitutional amendments

By Eleanore Wood / August 27, 2018 / Comments Off on The News & Observer: Cooper to legislators: ‘Expect further legal action’ on constitutional amendments

Source: Dennis Draughon, Capitol Broadcasting After a panel of judges struck down two of the General Assembly’s misleading constitutional amendments, lawmakers decided to return for yet another special session on Friday to rewrite the ballot language for the two proposals. Unfortunately, no amount of rewrites can change these amendments from what they are — misleading attempts to eviscerate…

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From WRAL: All former NC chief justices voice opposition to two amendments

By Eleanore Wood / August 23, 2018 / Comments Off on From WRAL: All former NC chief justices voice opposition to two amendments

First, every living former governor of NC spoke out against two amendments that seek to do away with the separation of powers in our state. Now, every living former chief justice of the state Supreme Court is also publicly opposing the amendments. When this many leaders on both sides of the aisle strongly oppose these…

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Daily Reflector: Activists rally around healthcare, reproductive rights at Greenville Town Hall

By Eleanore Wood / August 20, 2018 / Comments Off on Daily Reflector: Activists rally around healthcare, reproductive rights at Greenville Town Hall

Several advocacy groups, including Progress, met in Greenville to speak on the issues of a second Trump Supreme Court confirmation. President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh after Justice Kennedy announced his retirement. Kavanaugh has a long history of ruling against contraception, abortion, and the Affordable Care Act, which makes his nomination all the more troubling. Because…

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Spectrum News: Pro-Life group concerned free speech rights are jeopardized at clinics

By Eleanore Wood / August 16, 2018 / Comments Off on Spectrum News: Pro-Life group concerned free speech rights are jeopardized at clinics

Members of anti-abortion group, Cities4Life, are complaining about police officers ‘infringing on their First Amendment rights’. An executive director of Cities4Life cites a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer as the source of concern. The CMPD officer threatened to issue a citation to a member under an ordinance that prohibits blocking or interfering with pedestrian and vehicle traffic.…

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WRAL: Appeal reminds voters legislative leaders are elections cheaters

By Eleanore Wood / August 15, 2018 / Comments Off on WRAL: Appeal reminds voters legislative leaders are elections cheaters

The Republicans in Raleigh are seeking to change the rules in the middle of the game. They are the ones who changed judicial elections to make them partisan. They are the ones who canceled judicial primaries. And now that all this effort to rig the system has backfired, they want a do-over. From WRAL: The…

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WRAL: Five former NC governors campaigning against constitutional amendments

By Eleanore Wood / August 12, 2018 / Comments Off on WRAL: Five former NC governors campaigning against constitutional amendments

Current Gov. Roy Cooper isn’t the only state leader who is willing to call out the NCGOP on its constitutional amendments stunt. All five of NC’s former living governors, both Democrats and Republicans, appeared in an unprecedented press conference where they unanimously spoke against two of the proposed measures. From WRAL All five of North…

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Devastating: Argentina keeps abortion illegal

By Eleanore Wood / August 9, 2018 / Comments Off on Devastating: Argentina keeps abortion illegal

This week Argentinian senators created another roadblock for abortion rights in their country. Currently abortion is only legal in cases of rape or if the parent’s health is at risk. These conditions are difficult to prove, and many people in Argentina have suffered or even died because of this law. Senators voted 38 to 31…

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News And Observer: Facing protesters, NC legislators override vetoes

By Eleanore Wood / August 6, 2018 / Comments Off on News And Observer: Facing protesters, NC legislators override vetoes

“Berger King” and the rest of the legislature arrived at the General Assembly on Saturday, August 4th to override Governor Cooper’s vetoes. One bill that would make sure that 6 constitutional amendments on the ballot will have no descriptions, making it very difficult for voters to know what they actually do. The other is to…

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