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Articles by Marcia Morey
Rep. Jones’ book ban bashes the LGBTQ community — including us lawmakers | Opinion
House Majority Leader Rep. Brenden H. Jones. (Robert Willett/rwillett@newsobserver.com) House Majority Leader Brenden Jones is on a mission. His mission is not to help people of North Carolina and finally pass a budget and raise teacher pay. It is not to fund Medicaid or help people find good jobs that pay livable wages. He doesn’t seem to care about lowering the costs of healthcare coverage or housing costs. Jones is on a mission to ban books in schools.
Republicans are blaming Democrats for Charlotte transit killing. Here are the facts
North Carolina Senator Phil Berger addresses the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, N.C., during a press briefing on Thursday, September 11, 2025 at the General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C. Zarutska was killed on August 22, 2025 aboard Charlotte's Lynx light rail. rwillett@newsobserver.com Iryna Zarutska's young life should not have ended in an inexplicable act of brutal violence on a Charlotte transit train.
School voucher vote: NC lawmakers should listen to what voters just told them
While North Carolinians supported the Republican candidate for U.S. president, four of the most powerful positions on the Council of State were won by Democrats. Governor-Elect Josh Stein, Lieutenant Governor-Elect Rachel Hunt, Attorney General-Elect Jeff Jackson and Superintendent of Public Instruction-Elect Mo Green all ran on platforms that emphasized the importance of public education to strong academic outcomes, healthy communities and a thriving democracy.
Opinion: This race you’ve never heard of might be the most important election for NC’s future
With a groundbreaking presidential ticket and a highly competitive governor’s race, it’s understandable if you haven’t been paying attention to North Carolina’s judicial races. But you really should be. Four statewide judicial races will be on the ballot in November. The judicial candidates who win those races will have the power to control your lives.
Column: Rolling Back Juvenile Justice Reforms Would Be a Mistake for These Offenders
Reprinted with permission by The News & Observer of Raleigh North Carolina was the last state in the country to pass Raise the Age legislation. The law, which took effect five years ago, removed 16- and 17-year-olds from the punitive adult criminal system and put all minors under the jurisdiction of juvenile courts.
NC legislator and former judge: Rolling back juvenile justice reforms would be a mistake | Opinion Original
OPINION AND COMMENTARY Editorials and other Opinion content offer perspectives on issues important to our community and are independent from the work of our newsroom reporters. A 16-year-old inmate in general housing at Mecklenburg County’s Jail North. John D. Simmons Observer file photo North Carolina was the last state in the country to pass legislation.
Legalizing sports betting is a bad bet for North Carolina Original
Caesar's Sportsbook at Harrah's Cherokee Casino in Cherokee, N.C. is currently one of two places in North Carolina where a legal sports wager can be made. But that could soon change under a bill that passed the N.C. House on March 28, 2023 that would legalize sports wagering in the state. Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com Editor's note: A bill to legalize sports betting passed the N.C. House this week and is headed to the Senate. We asked legislators with differing views to weigh in on it.
NC is failing disabled adults like Samantha R. The legislature must help.
OPINION AND COMMENTARY Samantha Rhoney is the lead plaintiff in an ongoing lawsuit filed in 2017 by Disability Rights NC. A judge ruled that the state is breaking the law by failing to provide needed services that would enable people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live outside institutions, but the case is under appeal.
NC rep: Teens sentenced to prison long ago are finally getting just treatment
On March 10, NC Gov. Roy Cooper announced that he was ending the prison terms of three people convicted for murders committed when they were teenagers. The decision followed intensive review of their cases. File photo The writer chairs the NC Juvenile Sentence Review Board. Fellow board members Allison Duncan (a former federal judge), Thomas Walker (former US Attorney) and Mickey Michaux (an attorney and former member of the NC legislature) signed on to this op-ed. Earlier this month, Gov.
Nix All Six Constitutional Amendments, Republican power grab
This November, voters will decide if they want to protect North Carolina’s constitution or dramatically change it. Republican leaders hastily wrote and placed six amendments on the ballot with misleading language, hoping you won’t pay close attention to what these constitutional changes will do or why you are asked to vote on them. None of these amendments are necessary, and some are outright dangerous.
Justice in North Carolina under attack – Marcia Morey
After 18 years serving the public in Durham as a judge, I left the bench in April and took a giant leap into the lion’s den of the legislature. While I understood that my new role as a member of the N.C. House would be in a highly charged political environment compared to my nonpartisan role as a judge, I did not anticipate this year’s systematic attack on the independence of North Carolina’s judiciary.
Judging elections – Marcia Morey | News & Observer
When you walk into the voting booth and start filling in the oval dots, bets are, unless you are a lawyer or have been a litigant in a court case, you will have no idea which candidate would make the best judge. You may vote for the best sounding name, or whoever currently holds the seat. Political endorsements may sway you, or word of mouth, but for most voters it’s blindly pinning the tail on the donkey. Unfortunately, voters don’t sit in courtrooms and judge judges.
Durham judge Marcia Morey reflects on race, law enforcement and fairness
The cadets, in matching gray T-shirts inscribed with “Police Academy 2016,” sat erect in their chairs and shouted out in unison “Good morning, Ma’am” when I walked into the classroom. It was just hours after five Dallas officers were assassinated and mere days after Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were killed by police, and I wondered what was going through their minds.
Marcia Morey: Justice for all imperiled
This year marks the 50th anniversary of a unified court system in North Carolina and the creation of our state’s district courts.
Marcia Morey: When traffic court becomes debtors’ prison
For some judges, presiding over traffic infractions cases is like watching paint dry.
Marcia Morey: When will we stop the criminalization of our youth?
A few months ago I heard a case of 16-year-old Jasmine who was charged with littering. She stood before me for her first appearance in Durham’s “adult” criminal courtroom, 4D.
Marcia Morey: What it is like to be a judge
After Christmas, on a flight back to Durham, I had been buckled into my seat for two hours when the pilot announced there would be another delay. I groaned, “I have got to be in jail tomorrow.” The woman sitting next to me looked a bit startled. She eyed my faded blue jeans and sweatshirt and glanced down at my wrists to see if there were any handcuffs. “What did you do?”Before she could hit the flight attendant button, I explained: “No, I work there.
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