North Carolina judges side with GOP lawmakers for who gets say on highway patrol commander
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A panel of North Carolina judges dismissed one of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's cases against Republican legislative leaders Monday, upholding part of a power-shifting law that prevents Stein from selecting the State Highway Patrol commander.
Three Wake County Civil Superior Court judges made the decision unanimously. The judges' decision means that the dispute won't go to trial, but it can be appealed.
The lawsuit focuses on a portion of a more sweeping law passed by the GOP-dominated General Assembly that eroded the governor's powers, as well as the abilities of other top Democrats that hold statewide offices, last year. A day after its passage, Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper filed the legal challenge that the judges dismissed Monday.
The law says Stein cannot select his own commander to the State Highway Patrol and, instead, State Highway Patrol Commander Col. Freddy Johnson will keep the job until 2030. Johnson was appointed by Cooper in 2021 and is a defendant in the lawsuit.
In the order that sided with legislative leaders and Johnson, the judges wrote there were 'no genuine issues of material fact' and that the plaintiff — Stein — did not prove that the provision was unconstitutional.
An attorney for Stein, Eric Fletcher, had argued in court Monday that the provision guts the governor's abilities and violates the separation of powers. The commander would not be 'directly accountable' to the governor, Fletcher said, but rather 'indirectly accountable' to the General Assembly.
Fletcher insisted that the lawsuit was not a reflection of Johnson's character and ability to do his job.
Lawyers representing Republican legislative leaders Destin Hall and Phil Berger argued the case should be thrown out because Stein hasn't publicly contended that he wants to remove Johnson from his post and the governor's arguments were largely hypothetical.
Johnson's lawyer, William Boyle, further affirmed that there is 'no crisis here' between the governor and the State Highway Patrol commander and that they aren't 'at odds with each other.' Granting the governor the ability to appoint a new commander as the suit makes its way through the courts would also cause 'lasting detrimental harm,' Boyle said.
Stein's office is separately fighting another provision in the same state law passed last year that transferred the power to appoint State Board of Elections members from the governor to the state auditor, who is a Republican. Appointments have stayed in place as the provision's constitutionality continues to be debated in courts. They shifted the state elections board from a Democratic to Republican majority.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
L.A. ICE raids leave people 'scared to leave the house' in Hawthorne
The truck carrying two men suspected of living in the country illegally was pinned between a white rusty fence and two border patrol vehicles near a busy intersection in Hawthorne. Standing by the passenger door, two federal agents were handcuffing a pregnant woman, a U.S. citizen, angering the crowd that had gathered there and prompting masked agents to stand guard with less-lethal weapons and batons. 'Let her go, she's pregnant,' a woman screamed out. 'That girl is pregnant, let her go!' 'Get back!' yelled an agent with a steel baton. 'We are back!' a man responded loudly. The sweep near 120th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard this month was one of several that took place in this working-class city; all part of an immigration enforcement blitz in Southern California that has mostly affected workers living in the country illegally — similar to those that President Trump has employed in the past. The incident, which was captured on video and shared on social media along with subsequent raids in the city, has sparked outrage, fear and anxiety in a town where half the population is Latino. At least 30% of the total population is also foreign born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Some businesses said the raids have had an impact on them as well. Recently elected Mayor Alex Vargas has not spoken about the immigration issues his city is facing. He did not respond to requests for comment. But two days after the incident at the intersection, a small group of young people gathered to protest the immigration raids. They waved American and Mexican flags as dozens of cars honked in support. The pregnant woman, Cary López Alvarado, told NBC Los Angeles that the agents had been tailing her husband and co-worker when they pulled into the parking lot of a building where they were doing maintenance. She said she opened the gate for her husband to drive in when the agents pulled up. She said she refused to let the agents into the property. In a video she recorded and shared with the news station, Alvarado tells the agents to leave and that they were on private property. She said the agents then took her into custody for obstruction but later released her. Soon after that, she began experiencing pain in her belly and went to the hospital. Alvarado could not be reached for comment. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions about the operation. The white Toyota Tundra that had been stopped that day remains in the small parking lot of the building that is home to a Live Scan business. The driver side window was broken and shattered glass lay nearby. It's been a week of upheaval in Hawthorne, the South Bay suburb where the Beach Boys got their start in the 1960s and came to epitomize the postwar beach culture of Southern California. Over the last 50 years, the city of nearly 90,000 has become much more diverse, with a sizable Latino immigrant community. Standing outside her apartment complex at the corner of Acacia Avenue and 120th Street, just across from where the truck had been stopped, Maria Perez, 68, a Cuban and American citizen, smoked a cigarette with a neighbor. She expressed anger over the incident and the raids that have been taking place in the city and Greater Los Angeles. 'I cried when I saw what happened here,' she said. 'I was hurting like everybody else and now there's fear not just here but all over the city.' Her neighbor Ruben Esquivel, 43, said the raids have caused some people to go into hiding. 'I don't see anyone,' he said. 'People who are trying to make a living are scared to leave the house. It's horrible.' Jimmy Butler, 59, was home when he started to hear honking. By the time he traced the noise to the intersection, he saw Border Patrol agents taking the two men into custody as well as the pregnant woman. 'I was upset about what happened that day,' he said. 'How do you take someone who hasn't committed a crime?' Since then he said he has been more alert in an effort to protect his neighborhood, a street lined with apartment buildings where Samoans, Africans, Latinos and Black Americans live. When he heard honking again recently, he feared federal agents had returned but he was relieved when he learned it was related to the group of young demonstrators. 'People are living in anxiety,' he said. At the corner of 119th Street and Acacia Avenue, where Spanish Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church can pull in about 1,000 parishioners, Father Arturo Velascos said it was unclear what effect the June 1 incident, and other immigration raids, will have on attendance. 'The fact that they were here has us asking ourselves: How is this Sunday going to be?' he said. 'I know people are scared. Anyone who is undocumented has that basic fear that if they go to church or leave their home they'll be captured by ICE and get deported.' Velascos said the church has told people to remain vigilant and has held know-your-rights workshops to inform parishioners and the community. He said some people have expressed to him that they're afraid that immigration agents will enter the church to grab people. 'If they ever tried to come into our church packed with parishioners it will go bad for them because people will not tolerate that,' he said. 'You don't want 1,000 people angry at you.' Elsewhere in the city, the raids seem to be keeping people away. On Hawthorne Boulevard, some businesses said there are fewer shoppers. At 132nd Street, Gilberto Alvarez, 32, general manager at Denny's, said he was expecting a boost in sales recently after another diner in the area burned down. 'Right away we saw a bump in sales,' he said. But after Sunday's incident, he saw the number dip again. 'I was expecting to have $13,000 in sales instead I got $9,000,' he said. He said daily sales have also decreased from 500 to about 300. Business owners in the area said they too have noticed a decline in sales. They said workers have called in sick, fearing they will be detained by federal agents. However, some smaller stores said they haven't noticed a difference yet. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Sergio Hernandez, 49, stood at the mouth of his driveway, contemplating life. For more than 30 years, Hernandez has been living illegally in the country. But now, amid the immigration raids, he's considering self-deporting to Mexico. He said the raids have left him in a constant state of fear and anxiety. They've also placed an economic burden on him. Four years ago, he said, he suffered a stroke and lost the movement of his right arm and therefore his job as a polisher at a metal shop. Since then, he's been selling used items at a local swap meet. But the presence of Border Patrol vehicles has forced him to stay home. They've scared customers away as well and the few times he's taken the risk to sell items at the swap meet, he's noticed half the stalls are empty. Unable to work, he's had to dip into his savings and is afraid he'll run out of money soon. He said if he's unable to pay the $1,300 in rent and bills, he'll return home. Hernandez paused for a moment, spotting a white Chevy Escalade with tinted windows at the intersection nearby. 'See, that's the second time that vehicle has passed by here, it's immigration, you can see the lights,' he said. He said it's moments like those that cause him to be on high alert whenever he has to go to the store. 'Before you could go out and be out and about, you know — living life,' he said. 'But now people are always telling you when they spot immigration and whether it's true or not, you'd rather not find out.' Hernandez said he doesn't know when he'll return to Mexico. What's delaying his decision is the simple fact that he's become accustomed to living his life in the U.S. 'I don't understand,' he said. 'There are people living in the streets, getting drugged up and I'm here trying to work. Why are they coming after me?' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Forbes
44 minutes ago
- Forbes
Manufacturing Needs To Overhaul Its Talent Management Strategies
Michael D. Brown is Senior Managing Partner at Global Recruiters of Buckhead, a top executive recruiting and leadership consulting firm. American manufacturing faces a critical talent shortage. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported nearly half a million job openings in the industry as of April 2025. Compounding this, Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute project a shortfall of 1.9 million jobs by 2033 due to a skills gap crisis. While U.S. tariffs aim to spur domestic manufacturing, their labor market impact is complex. Higher costs could dampen demand, and new, tariff-encouraged facilities are often highly automated, creating fewer jobs that require advanced skills. As Randstad USA notes in its analysis of 2025 tariff impacts, companies are increasingly turning to automation as a way to offset rising costs. So, while tariffs have the potential to influence job creation, manufacturing companies can't treat them as a sufficient solution for the persistent labor shortage. It's clear that we need a fundamental overhaul of the entire talent life cycle if we want to build a robust, passionate workforce. One aspect we need to focus on is how technology's evolution has complicated the skills landscape. Modern manufacturing floors, unlike past factories, are sophisticated ecosystems of automation, robotics and advanced analytics. This has led to competency requirements that outpace available talent. To bridge this divide, we must build talent differently. Many manufacturing jobs require workers to have at least a bachelor's degree, but the truth is that traditional education frequently prioritizes theory over practicality. Curricula don't prepare workers for handling modern equipment or developing the adaptability needed to keep up with evolving technology. Manufacturing companies must invest directly in future-ready talent. This means supporting robust STEM and vocational programs that integrate hands-on, advanced manufacturing training. Partnering with community colleges, technical schools and even local high schools allows you to co-develop curricula that address your specific skills needs. As a result, you help provide students with vital practical experience and create direct career pathways. In manufacturing, relentless technological advancement in areas like AI and robotics means continuous learning is a competitive necessity. To maintain efficiency, productivity and innovation, you must foster a culture of growth that ensures your existing workforce evolves with their technology. To facilitate this, build (or reinforce) partnerships with educational institutions, technology vendors, registered apprenticeship programs and manufacturing extension partnerships. You can use these relationships to launch tech-based skilling initiatives that turn your workforce into the experts of tomorrow. Unfortunately, the manufacturing industry continues to battle an outdated image as a field that's dirty and dangerous and requires few skills. The persistence of this idea has created a significant public relations challenge. While 80% of Americans believe more manufacturing could benefit the country, only 20% would personally work in the sector. In fact, unless they're familiar with the industry, fewer than three in 10 Americans would encourage their children to pursue a career in manufacturing. To improve your talent attraction efforts, start focusing on these key aspects of your employer branding. • Offer strategic compensation and benefits. Provide a compelling total rewards package beyond salary. Be sure to benchmark pay against all competing industries, and use sign-on bonuses, performance incentives and robust benefits to get candidates engaged. • Tell a modern story about your workplace. Give the public a look into the high-tech reality of manufacturing. Share video tours and "day-in-the-life" employee profiles on social media, and highlight your products' impact to showcase purpose. • Conduct targeted, proactive outreach. Actively recruit by partnering with high school STEM programs, student engineering organizations and military transition programs. Offer plant tours and career days. • Modernize the candidate experience. Create a fast, mobile-friendly application process—ideally, under five minutes. Then keep candidates informed with automated email and text updates. • Promote flexibility and work-life balance. Offer innovative scheduling, like compressed workweeks or hybrid models, where feasible. Implement generous PTO policies to signal respect for work-life balance. • Showcase pathways for career growth. Create visual career maps that clearly outline advancement opportunities within your company. Then support these pathways with mentorship programs and by publicizing internal promotions. • Build an employee referral engine. Turn employees into recruiters. Establish and promote an easy referral program that includes significant financial bonuses for critical roles. Beyond attracting talent, retaining it is paramount. In a tight labor market, competitive pay is merely the entry ticket. Retention now hinges on the total employee value proposition (EVP)—the holistic promise of value an employee receives by working at your company. We must revolutionize workplace culture and rewards, focusing on three interconnected pillars: the organizational promise, the daily managerial experience and the opportunity for individual growth. Strategies to build these pillars include: • Define and deliver on your employee value proposition. First, survey employees to understand their values (e.g., safety, purpose, work-life balance, innovation) so it can inform how you define your EVP. Then formally embed it throughout the employee life cycle, ensuring company actions and policies consistently reinforce this promise. • Invest in frontline leadership development. Equip supervisors and managers with the skills to be effective coaches, not just bosses. Invest in robust training focused on communication, conflict resolution, constructive feedback and employee recognition. • Foster a culture of continuous improvement and engagement. Engage skilled workers' minds. Create channels for employee input, and use cross-functional teams to solve operational problems. This will help foster ownership and demonstrate that you value employees' expertise. When aligned, these three elements create an environment where employees feel supported and motivated to stay. Simply building factories or implementing new tariffs won't solve the workforce crisis. The future of American manufacturing hinges on its capacity to attract, develop and retain the skilled talent it desperately needs. By embracing reimagined education, strategic branding, targeted sourcing and dynamic retention efforts, we can unlock the full potential of our sector and countless American workers. Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Israeli military strike takes out Iranian anti-aircraft crew
All times eastern FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Trump returns to Washington after cutting Canada trip short
