LGBT

North Carolina AG Cooper Won’t Defend the “Unconstitutional” Bathroom Bill

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced this morning that he will not defend the state in court against organizations suing over HB2, the anti-transgender bathroom bill.

Cooper is named as a defendant in the ACLU's lawsuit against the state, but he says the law is an embarrassment.

North Carolina's attorney general said Tuesday he won't defend in court a new state law preventing Charlotte and other local governments from approving protections for LGBT people, calling it discriminatory and a "national embarrassment." [...]

"Not only is this new law a national embarrassment, it will set North Carolina's economy back if we don't' repeal it," Cooper said. "We know that businesses here and all over the country have taken a strong stance in opposition to this law."

Cooper also described the law as "unconstitutional" and said it does not represent the values of North Carolina. Recent polling that demonstrates no significant appetite for overturning local ordinances suggests he's right.

It should be noted that Cooper is running to replace Governor Pat McCrory and, at least on this issue, he has made the right call. The legal and economic consequences for North Carolina will materialize before the November election arrives and, obviously, some already have.

In related news, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has banned state travel to North Carolina in response to the law.