The new Republican majority in the NC General Assembly took unprecedented action in 2011 to punish the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) by disallowing payroll deductions for dues. Gov. Perdue vetoed that bill. In another unprecedented action (a post-midnight vote) just exactly a year ago, the General Assembly Republicans, with the help of two turn-coat Democrats, over-rode the governor's veto.
That law was quickly enjoined by a restraining order just days after the veto over-ride, and it has now been ruled unconstitutional by the same judge. In the ruling issued yesterday, the judge said the dues-deduction ban "constitutes retaliatory viewpoint discrimination" against NCAE, which violates the group's free speech rights.
If you think for a moment that the full Republican regime we'll have in place in Raleigh after tomorrow won't use its power to punish (or attempt to punish) its ideological enemies, no matter how many judges slap them down for violating the constitution, you are too naive for this earth.
Next stop: voter suppression.
There is always an appeal/
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