Morning News Briefs: Thursday, January 5th, 2017

Federal Judges Refuse To Delay Own Redistricting Schedule

The three federal judges who ordered North Carolina General Assembly maps be redrawn by March 15 and special elections for dozen of legislative seats this fall won't block their own ruling from taking effect.

The panel denied Wednesday last month's request by attorneys for Republican legislative leaders and the state to set aside the redistricting and elections schedule the judges created last month. The judges last August initially found nearly 30 state House and Senate districts were illegal racial gerrymanders.

Wednesday's ruling is separate from a pending request by the state's attorneys at the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a similar delay.

New North Carolina Governor, Legislators Back In Court

The last-minute efforts of Republican lawmakers to limit the powers of North Carolina's incoming Democratic governor before he was sworn in are back in court.

A three-judge panel scheduled a hearing Thursday in Raleigh about a law new Gov. Roy Cooper sued over last week before he took office on Sunday.

Cooper argues the law passed last month to strip him of the authority to oversee elections statewide is unconstitutional. GOP legislators say the law promotes bipartisanship. A temporary hold was put on enforcing the law pending the result of Thursday's hearing.

Republicans: Cooper Breaking Law With Expansion

Republican legislative leaders say North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper will break state law by trying to expand Medicaid under the federal health care overhaul law and asking taxpayers to cover the state's share.

Senate leader Phil Berger said Wednesday that Cooper's announcement to seek approval from the federal government to cover more people is a "brazenly illegal attempt to force" Medicaid expansion upon the state. Berger's office says lawmakers will ask federal Medicaid regulators to reject any expansion request Cooper makes.

NC Inaugural Committee Moves Events Inside Based On Weather

The committee organizing new Gov. Roy Cooper's inauguration ceremonies has canceled the parade scheduled for the weekend because of weather forecasts calling for snow.

The Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies announced Wednesday that all ceremonies associated with the inauguration have been moved indoors to Memorial Auditorium at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.

Attorney Hired After Student Slammed To Floor

The mother of a girl seen slammed to the floor by a police officer in a video posted to social media says she's pulled both of her daughters out of the North Carolina high school they were attending.

Desiree Harrison told WRAL-TV on Wednesday that she also has hired an attorney after seeing the video recorded Tuesday at Rolesville High School.

In the brief video, an officer surrounded by students lifts and drops a girl to the floor on her left side, then pulls her to her feet and leads her away.

The student who recorded the video says the girl who was slammed to the floor was trying to break up a fight between girls, including her sister.

Rolesville is about 30 minutes east of Raleigh.

NC Central Names Search Committee To Find New Chancellor

N.C. Central University has appointed a 22-member committee to search for a successor to the late Chancellor Debra Saunders-White.

The historically black college said in a statement that the committee includes representatives of the NCCU Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, administration and students, as well as alumni and community members. The committee includes one non-voting member from the UNC Board of Governors.

A national search is being conducted. The committee will recommend finalists to the full board of trustees, which must recommend a slate of finalists to UNC System President Margaret Spellings, who will recommend one candidate to the Board of Governors for approval.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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