It was cold, raining,
and I was making the
walk from my office
at NCDOJ to the
state legislature -
something I’ve been
doing a lot lately.
As Attorney General,
it’s important to
have a working
relationship with
both parties, so I’m
sitting down for as
many one-on-one
meetings as I can. I
served in the
legislature for four
terms. I know the
people. I know the
institution. And I
know how to be
realistic about
politics and policy.
The majority party
wasn’t exactly
thrilled when I won
this race. They’ve
already passed a
bill that attempts
to strip power from
my office, and
they’re about to
vote on another one
that would ban the
Attorney General
from suing over
executive orders. So,
yes - it’s a
complicated
relationship.
But here’s the thing:
the meetings have
gone better than you
might think.
I respect the role
these legislators
play, and when we
sit down, I make
that clear. And I
emphasize that the
work of the Attorney
General should be
nonpartisan, which I
truly believe.
Then we talk about
the fentanyl
epidemic, the
massive amount of
robocalls people are
getting, the latest
advances in DNA
testing at crime
scenes, and new
scams targeting
their constituents.
And despite
everything, we find
common ground.
Not with everyone.
Some of them
confront me in the
hallway about
lawsuits I’ve filed.
Some won’t take a
meeting. I get it.
That’s politics,
especially in a
moment like this.
But my job isn’t to
take it personally.
My job is to put the
North Carolina
Department of
Justice - and the
one thousand people
who work there - in
the strongest
position to
accomplish our
mission of keeping
you and your
families safe. That
means having real
conversations, even
with people who
campaigned against
me and will do it
again next time.
The work is the
work. I’ll let you
know how it goes.
Also, here’s AI’s
version of me
walking in the cold
rain over to the
state legislature.
I gotta remember
to bring an umbrella
to work!
Executive
Orders
By my count, the new
administration has
issued 65 executive
orders so far.
A handful of them
have been unlawful -
mostly attempts to
bypass Congress and
push through
policies that
probably wouldn’t
pass as regular
legislation.
I, along with a
number of other AGs,
have filed suit over
four of them.
-
Birthright
Citizenship: The
executive order
attempting to
end birthright
citizenship was
flagrantly
unconstitutional.
Over a century
of legal
precedent would
have to be
overturned for
it to stand. We
won both the
temporary
restraining
order and a
preliminary
injunction.
It’ll be
appealed, but
for now, the law
holds.
-
Funding
Freeze: The
abrupt and vague
freeze on
federal funding
was also not a
close call. A
president cannot
unilaterally
refuse to
distribute funds
that Congress
has authorized -
again, that’s
long-standing
precedent. We
won the
temporary
restraining
order, with a
full hearing
coming soon.
-
Medical
Research Cuts: The
proposed cut to
medical research
would devastate
North Carolina’s
public
universities and
the lifesaving
research they’re
doing. But it
also likely
violates Article
I of the
Constitution and
the
Administrative
Procedure Act.
We secured a
temporary
restraining
order, and the
full hearing is
coming up.
-
DOGE
Personal Data: There’s
nothing unlawful
about trying to
find
efficiencies in
government. But
there are
federal laws
that protect
your privacy,
and in my view,
the manner in
which DOGE is
accessing and
downloading data
- like Social
Security numbers
- violates those
laws. I joined a
group of AGs in
challenging it,
we secured a
temporary
restraining
order, and we’ll
see it through
in court.
Major Data
Breach
Every public school
district in North
Carolina uses a
software system
called PowerSchool.
It handles student
grades, assignments,
and records.
Our son uses it
every day.
Three months ago, it
was hacked.
The personal
information of
roughly 60 million
Americans -
including as many as
4 million North
Carolinians - was
compromised.
Obviously, this was
illegal, and law
enforcement is
working to bring
those responsible to
justice.
But my job isn’t
just to go after the
hackers - it’s also
to hold companies
accountable for
protecting your data
in the first place.
In North Carolina,
companies that store
sensitive personal
information are
required by law to
take reasonable
steps to safeguard
it. That’s not a
suggestion. That’s
the law.
So I’ve launched an
investigation into
PowerSchool to
determine whether
those protections
were in place. If
they weren’t, there
will be consequences.
It’ll take time to
get to the bottom of
this, but we’ll get
answers.
And I’ll keep you
posted.
Best,
Jeff Jackson
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