[“3 things happening in NC” is Cardinal & Pine’s weekly guide to the people, storylines, and events driving the news this week in North Carolina.]
Below, we have the latest on Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a controversial court bill, an update on SNAP cuts, and the Winston-Salem Open, but first:
Predicting when the news might happen can be a tough gig. In my 3 Things Happening column last week, I discussed the likelihood that Gov. Stein would veto House Bill 958, which would shorten early voting in primaries from 17 to 10 days and make multiple other changes to election law including making it easier to challenge mail-in or early voting ballots.
That didn’t come to pass, but it is a near-certainty. Stein already announced his intentions to veto the controversial bill on social media.
Today, however, we’re going to talk about a less-publicized, but still impactful, bill that would make important changes to North Carolina’s top court. Let’s get to it.
Josh Stein lays into controversial NC Supreme Court bill
While House Bill 958 has gotten much of the media attention since the closing days of the North Carolina General Assembly’s latest session, multiple Democrats have been calling attention to another bill they say would give NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby too much power.
In a scathing op-ed published by Queen City Nerve over the weekend, NC Sen. Woodson Bradley called on Gov. Josh Stein to veto House Bill 377, which would give Newby the power to censure, publicly reprimand, suspend or remove judges.
Critics say the bill would allow the chief justice—who is put in office through partisan elections—to toss out other democratically-elected judges, potentially for partisan reasons.
During his time as chief justice, Newby, a Republican, has been accused of politicizing the state’s courts.
“No one partisan official should have that much power, and no one can be trusted with that power less than Chief Justice Newby,” wrote Bradley, who cited Newby’s far-right political leanings and multiple claims that Newby has abused his power since first becoming chief justice in 2013.
On Monday, Stein agreed with the critics and vetoed the bill.
“North Carolina voters elect the vast majority of our judges in our state, and removing judges from their posts should first and foremost be determined by the people,” Stein said in a statement.
Stein went on:
“For thirteen years, the General Assembly has repeatedly played politics with the judiciary, including taking all four of the nonpartisan State Bar’s appointments to the Judicial Standards Commission for itself. It needs to stop politicizing our courts. An independent judiciary is critical to protecting the rule of law and the rights of all North Carolinians. I will always stand up for the people of North Carolina. Therefore, I veto this bill.”
This does not mean the bill is dead. Republicans in the state legislature can override Stein’s veto, but they’ll need the support of three-fifth of the members in each chamber, which means they’ll need to convince some Democrats to support it. Stay tuned.
Local and state officials call out SNAP cost shifts
State lawmakers, local officials and community members on Monday will address federal SNAP changes and a new state budget provision that could shift tens of millions of dollars in costs onto counties across the state.
North Carolina’s recently enacted state budget requires counties to cover the state’s federal SNAP benefit cost-sharing obligation, which was shifted to states from the federal government as part of 2025’s Big, Beautiful Bill.
Read More: Rep. Lopez proposes $85M plan to keep SNAP running for North Carolinians
The state will collect the money by withholding monthly distributions of local sales-tax revenue beginning Oct. 1, 2026.
As reported by NC Health News in July, county leaders across the state had hoped the General Assembly would absorb an estimated $52 million in new administrative costs, at least during the first year of implementation, but any such hopes were stifled by the passage of the final state budget early in June, with no such funding included.
NC Sen. Caleb Theodros will join Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Chair Mark Jerrell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education Chair Stephanie Sneed for a press conference in Charlotte on Monday to discuss the consequences of passing the state’s federal obligation down to local governments.
They will also talk about the need for the General Assembly to reconsider the provision before sales-tax withholding begins on Oct. 1.
Winston-Salem Open provides sneak peek to the final Grand Slam event of the year
Wake Forest University will host the Winston-Salem Open, which kicks off on Saturday and serves as the final American Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour event before the US Open takes place in September.
Competitors at the 15th-anniversary event include Top 25 player Luciano Darderi, Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery, former World No. 10 Denis Shapovalov, and American Ethan Quinn, who reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 45 in July.
The Winston-Salem Open will take place at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex from Aug. 22-29.
Elsewhere around the state this weekend, Charlotte hosts Collect-A-Con for trading card, anime and pop culture enthusiast; the Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution and other groups commemorate the 252nd anniversary of the New Bern Resolves at Tryon Palace; makers come together at the 50th annual Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival in downtown Cary; and cinephiles head west for the Asheville Film Festival. All of the above either begin or take place on Saturday, Aug. 22.
