Executive orders

And walking to the legislature in the rain

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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