News Articles
State Supreme Court to Hear Libertarian-Green Ballott Access Case
Brian Irving
Jul 28th, 2010
The North Carolina Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Libertarian Party et al vs. The State of North Carolina, et al Thursday, September 9 at 9:30 a.m. This is the party’s challenge to the constitutionality of North Carolina’s ballot access laws.
Short Session Long on Corporate Tax Breaks
Bill Flanigen
Jul 20th, 2010
This year’s legislative short session passed quickly in Raleigh, and legislators scrambled to revive, rewrite, and pass a raft of tax incentives legislation for selected industries in North Carolina.
Keeping Covered in a New Climate
Robert F. Orr
Jul 19th, 2010
The importance of a free and effective press and its role in open, honest government is ingrained in our constitutional principles and our national culture. My first experience and appreciation for this concept occurred nearly 45 years ago as a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill. As a radio-TV-motion pictures major, I had the opportunity to intern for WSOC-TV News in Charlotte, covering the 1965 session of the General Assembly.
Eyes on lobbying
Staff Writer
Jul 8th, 2010
In that pew, front and center, sits the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law, a privately funded group headed by former state Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr. To what lengths did Spirit go to snare its incentives, worth in the range of $180 million? The institute wanted to find out. That's when it was brought up short by a confounding legal kink. As the institute asserts in a recently filed lawsuit, it had every reason to believe that a consultant for Spirit Aero prevailed upon the administration of former Gov. Mike Easley to feather the company's nest if it came to the TransPark. But the office of Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, which regulates lobbyists, reported no record of a lobbyist registered for Spirit. The institute thus filed a complaint about alleged unregistered lobbying.
Fight to get Cat is pricey
Richard Craver
Jul 5th, 2010
"As long as it is a closed process, taxpayers are going to end up paying more because our officials are going to end up bidding more as these companies continue to play communities off each other for maximum benefit," Orr said. Orr said that there would be more integrity in the process "if companies put their plans and parameters on eBay for seven days and said, ‘Have at it.'"
Redistricting Could Be Biggest Consequence of Midterm Elections
David N. Bass
Jun 30th, 2010
Redistricting is never a zero-sum game, though, because Republicans still benefit when Democrats gerrymander. To improve their chances in a given congressional district, for example, Democrats might have to siphon off friendly voters from neighboring districts, weakening their prospects. “Everything is a domino, which is one of the difficulties in drawing the districts if you’re concerned about incumbent protection,” said Orr, who is now director of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law.
Let sun shine in on lobbying case results
Staff Writer
Jun 30th, 2010
An Opinion Piece from the Charlotte Observer, addressing the Secretary of State Litigation: In an era when N.C. executive branch officials as well as state legislators are calling almost daily for more transparency in government, state government is curiously deficient in one key area of openness: If you file a formal complaint about a potential lobbying violation, you can't find out whether the N.C. Secretary of State's office has taken action on it. And if by chance you find out a lobbyist has been sanctioned by that office, you can't even find out why.
Tax breaks for Hollywood among latest free rides given by N.C.
Scott Mooneyham
Jun 25th, 2010
A study conducted by the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University suggested that incentives offered in that state produced just 14 cents in tax revenue for every dollar offered by the state. Bob Orr, the head of the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law and an incentive critic, also points out another objectionable aspect to the movie incentives: these aren’t permanent jobs. How much are these film productions really worth to the broader North Carolina economy, to the permanent residents of the state? Or is this just about being able to say that Daniel Day-Lewis romped around the North Carolina mountains wearing buckskins and feathers in his hair? At what level do incentives to moviemakers no longer become cost effective?
Orr says issuing bonds without public vote unconstitutional
Leigh Kelley
Jun 23rd, 2010
By Leigh Kelley of the Times-News: Issuing bonds without approval from taxpayers and giving economic incentives to businesses hurts North Carolina's tax base and is unconstitutional, said Robert Orr, a retired judge with the N.C. Supreme Court and Hendersonville native. Yet it has been a practice of some governments across the state. “So while the retired teacher has to pay taxes and the retired military veteran has to pay taxes, Google does not have to pay property taxes,” Orr said. “I will go to my grave saying it is unconstitutional. You are benefiting that company, and it's wrong. Most of these companies would be coming here anyway, so it's a farce.”