North Carolina's so-called “bathroom bill” was partially repealed two years ago, but critics say its effects still hurt the state. Now the HB2 fight returns to a federal courtroom in Winston-Salem.
Gov. Roy Cooper is among those asking the judge to sign a consent decree ordering that the replacement law does not bar transgender people from using public bathrooms that match their gender identities.
The legislature passed the partial repeal bill two years ago. It was supposed to quell the backlash that the original measure sparked. And on some level, it did. For example, the NBA All-Star game returned to Charlotte this year after the league pulled out of the city for the 2017 game.
Still, HB2 continues to define state politics in many ways. Just this week, Republican voters chose the architect of the bill, State Sen. Dan Bishop, as the nominee to face Democrat Dan McCready for the Ninth Congressional District special election.
A bill sponsored by Democrats that would repeal the remnants of HB2 completely did not advance in the GOP-led legislature.