Judge Eviscerates North Carolina Legislature’s New Protest Rules | The New Civil Rights Movement

A Superior Court Judge in North Carolina has struck down most of the new rules the state legislature passed in order to thwart those vexing Moral Monday protests that just won’t go quietly away. Judge Carl Fox said the lawmakers can’t ban noise, like singing and clapping, nor can they confiscate protest signs because it has a messages that disturb the sensibilities of a lawmaker.

thom tillisThe rules were meant to be the coup de grâce from Speaker of the House, Thom Tillis, (left) who was the prime mover of the unpopular right-wing agenda North Carolina has been pursuing. Speaker Tillis is currently running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Hagan.

Under Tillis, Republicans gave business a tax cut paid for by eliminating the earned income credit for the working poor. They calculatingly targeted liberal voting blocs with a new voter suppression law. They tacked abortion restrictions onto a motorcycle safety bill. They turned down the federal Medicaid expansion money that would have meant healthcare for thousands, and ticked off teachers by passing a law to end teacher tenure that just last month was found unconstitutional.

Rep. Tillis’ relentless prosecution of his right-wing agenda spawned the ongoing Moral Mondays Movement – the largest protests in the South since the Civil Rights era. Each and every Monday, crowds of people converge on the capitol with signs and banners, expressing their displeasure or advocating for their cause. Rather than peter out after a few weeks, Moral Monday protests have grown in size and spread to other southern cities. If the legislature is in session, the Moral Monday protesters will be outside their door, so if nothing else, they will at least have to look their victims in the face.

But last month, just days before the summer session began, Speaker Tillis found a way to thwart the protesters’ ability to gather. He ordered the eight Republicans and two Democrats on the House Legislative Services Committee, which had not met since 1999, to revisit the rules and penalties for protesters – and boy did they!

Judge Eviscerates North Carolina Legislature’s New Protest Rules | The New Civil Rights Movement