Press Release -- Wake County Board of Education Election

It's been a while since I posted here, but as I received some inquiries as to why my name was not on the mail-in ballot. This statement was released (but distributed less widely than I had hoped) early last week, and is reproduced here:


Raleigh, NC -- August 17, 2016 -- Statement from Mr. James McLuckie:

Due to the recently reversion of the Wake County Board of Education districts to their 2011 lines, Mr. McLuckie will not be filing to run for a seat on the Wake County School Board. Christine Kushner has filed for re-election in District 6.

Mr. McLuckie is of the position that it would be inappropriate to run in District 6: "I am unwilling to pursue a seat against Mrs. Kushner -- she has not only been friendly, polite, courteous, and professional in our interactions as candidates, but is also infinitely more familiar with District 6 than I am. Although I am possessed with the desire to serve the public, replacing Mrs. Kushner would not be beneficial to the residents of our district; as such, I withdraw from the race, and wish to extend my warmest congratulations to Christine on her position as District 6 representative during the upcoming term"

"I commend Mr. McLuckie for his interest in public education and public service, and I am grateful for his support," said Mrs. Kushner. "I am honored to serve on the School Board, advocating for our 176 schools and 160,000 students. I am committed to continuing to serve in that role."

With thanks to, and regard for, the citizens of Wake County,

-James McLuckie 

This Is Why People Get Frustrated With 'The System'

So, some of you have noticed that I haven't been posting recently, and I'll address that after the jump.

First, though -- I am trained to work within the bounds of 'The System'. Heck, I'm decent at navigating bureaucracy. But this is getting ridiculous! Are we in Wake County going to end up in the Supreme Court, or are we simply not going to have elections?

Did the 4th Circuit Decide Wrongly in This Case? (Part III-D, Part IV, Part V, & Concluding Notes and Your Opinions)

Did the 4^th Circuit Wrongly Decide Raleigh Wake Citizens Association?

If you have no legal experience… perfect! This is a great “getting your feet wet” case for reading legal decisions! This post series will analyze the recent ruling by the 4th Circuit section by section. For those who are not experienced reading a legal decision:

-I have tried to keep the legal jargon to a minimum.

-Where possible, you’ll see bulleted lists like this one. 

-For this post series, I’ll also critique the majority opinion as necessary

Did the 4th Circuit Decide Wrongly in This Case? (Part III-C)

Did the 4^th Circuit Wrongly Decide Raleigh Wake Citizens Association?

If you have no legal experience… perfect! This is a great “getting your feet wet” case for reading legal decisions! This post will analyze the recent ruling by the 4th Circuit section by section, while referencing the dissent as well as the majority opinion. For those who are not experienced reading a legal decision:

-I have prefaced my analysis with a brief explanation of each section of the decision and why it’s important

-I have opted to use simple page numbers as citations, rather than proper legal format

-I have tried to keep the legal jargon to a minimum.

-And, where possible, you’ll see bulleted lists like this one. 

-For this post series, I’ll also critique the majority opinion as necessary

Did the 4th Circuit Decide Wrongly In This Case? (Part III-A and III-B)

Did the 4^th Circuit Wrongly Decide Raleigh Wake Citizens Association?

If you have no legal experience… perfect! This is a great “getting your feet wet” case for reading legal decisions! This post series will analyze the recent ruling by the 4th Circuit section by section, while referencing the dissent as well as the majority opinion. For those who are not experienced reading a legal decision:

-I have prefaced my analysis with a brief explanation of each section of the decision and why it’s important

-I have opted to use simple page numbers as citations, rather than proper legal format

-I have tried to keep the legal jargon to a minimum.

-And, where possible, you’ll see bulleted lists like this one. 

-For this post series, I’ll also critique the majority opinion as necessary

Did the 4th Circuit Wrongly Decide in This Case? (Table of Contents for Part III)

Did the 4^th Circuit Wrongly Decide Raleigh Wake Citizens Association?

If you have no legal experience… perfect! This is a great “getting your feet wet” case for reading legal decisions! This post series will analyze the recent ruling by the 4th Circuit section by section, while referencing the dissent as well as the majority opinion. For those who are not experienced reading a legal decision:

-I have prefaced my analysis with a brief explanation of each section of the decision and why it’s important

-I have opted to use simple page numbers as citations, rather than proper legal format

-I have tried to keep the legal jargon to a minimum.

-And, where possible, you’ll see bulleted lists like this one. 

-For these posts, I’ll also critique the majority opinion as necessary

Part III – Analysis

This is the heart of the case, where the court explains its legal reasoning. I’m not going to detail everything in this Part of the opinion, because affirming a lower court is essentially the appellate court saying “They got this right / didn’t get it wrong, so we’re not changing anything.” It’s the time-consuming part of following a legal opinion, as you’ll see after the jump. Keep reading, though – this is also the fun part!

Did the 4th Circuit Wrongly Decide In This Case? (Summary, Fact Statement, and Standard of Review)

Did the 4^th Circuit Wrongly Decide Raleigh Wake Citizens Association?

If you have no legal experience… perfect! This is a great “getting your feet wet” case for reading legal decisions! This post will analyze the recent ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the 4^th Circuit section by section, while referencing the dissent as well as the majority opinion. For those who are not experienced reading a legal decision:

-I have prefaced my analysis with a brief explanation of each section of the decision and why it’s important

-I have opted to use simple page numbers as citations, rather than proper legal format

-I have tried to keep the legal jargon to a minimum.

-And, where possible, you’ll see bulleted lists like this one.  

KEY ISSUE TO KNOW BEFORE CONTINUING

-The key issue in this case is apportionment and population deviation. High variance between the population of the smallest district and largest district (The Maximum Population Deviation) is not ideal.

-10% variance in Maximum Population Deviation is a key number, and the recently redrawn Wake County districts are under 10% MPD.

Media Coverage and Campaign Needs

It's strange how we go through life believing that the life-changing experiences that will shape us come with a flashing red light, or an attached note that says "This is serious!"

The Race: Wake County Board of Education (Background and Process)

When Government Lab decided to explore politics, it was on the small scale: a local, non-partisan election. Why and how?