Things seem to be developing rapidly in North Carolina.  Just yesterday morning we reported that the ACLU had filed a challenge to the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act that was passed last week and signed by Governor McCrory.   The response from the North Carolina’s Attorney General’s Office was immediate and decisive:  the AG would not defend this law against the legal challenge filed by the ACLU.

The AG, Roy Cooper, in making his announcement noted that businesses all over the country had taken a strong stance against the law.  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the cities of Seattle and San Francisco have banned all nonessential public travel to North Carolina.

The fact that the AG will not defend the law does not mean that lawmakers will not appoint a private attorney or law firm to do so.  In fact, at least one Republican Senator has condemned Cooper’s refusal to defend the law.

What may be getting lost in all of the drama is what the outcome means for employers in North Carolina.  In the immediate future, if the law is repealed or judicially overturned, then Charlotte’s anti-discrimination ordinance will go into effect, which may require some updates to employers’ policies and handbooks.  It also means that municipalities will be free to enact other employment related laws, including increasing the minimum wage.