In this episode of S.O.S. Strategies for Operation Special Education, Poyner Spruill LLP education attorney Rachel Nicholas sits down with North Carolina’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green for an in-depth…
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/ Education Law
The H-1B Lottery for FY2027 opens at 12:00 pm EST on March 4, 2026, and will run through 12:00 pm EST on March 19, 2026. The fee for submitting an H-1B Lottery Registration is $215 per entry…
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/ Administrative Law, Immigration Law, Labor & Employment Law
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects “qualified individuals” with a disability from job discrimination, and imposes upon employers the duty to reasonably accommodate such individuals. But what happens when, even…
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/ Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law
Following up on its re-opening of the Opinion Letter program, the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (“DOL”) issued six new opinion letters on January 5, 2026. These letters are helpful guidance for…
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/ Administrative Law, Health, Labor & Employment Law
On December 1, 2025, a new law took effect in North Carolina permitting private schools to authorize their employees and volunteers to carry certain weapons on their campuses. Session Law 2025-81 created a carveout in N.C. Gen…
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/ Education Law, Insurance, Labor & Employment Law
On December 29, 2025, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule introducing a weighted lottery for the H-1B Selection Process…
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/ Immigration Law, Labor & Employment Law
On November 19, 2025, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued the “Discrimination Against American Workers Is Against The Law” technical assistance guidance, reemphasizing workers’ rights under Title VII of…
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/ Civil Rights, Immigration Law, Labor & Employment Law
In State v. Barthel, the N.C. Court of Appeals vacated William Barthel’s convictions of disrupting an official meeting and resisting a public officer.
At a special meeting of the Avery County Board of Commissioners, Barthel…
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/ Administrative Law, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law
Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the dismissal of religious discrimination claims brought by two former employees of the Humane Society of the United States who were terminated for…
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/ Civil Rights, Labor & Employment Law
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a decision from the Southern District of West Virginia reinforcing that indefinite unpaid leave is not a reasonable accommodation that employers must provide. The Coffman v…
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/ Labor & Employment Law
Earlier this year, the Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Act was introduced to Congress to accelerate responsible AI experimentation. The bill would establish AI Innovation Labs to serve as regulatory sandboxes,…
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/ Finance & Banking, Insurance, Science, Computers, & Technology
Local educational agencies (LEAs), including North Carolina’s public school systems, are not subject to federal regulation, inspection, or enforcement by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). North Carolina’s…
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/ Administrative Law, Education Law, Labor & Employment Law
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) imposes an affirmative duty on employers to provide reasonable accommodation which will allow a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of the job…
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/ Civil Rights, Education Law, Labor & Employment Law
The use of AI to assist in HR functions has grown in popularity throughout the country. Companies are using AI for everything from drafting personnel policies to screening applicants for open positions. There are, however, risks…
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/ Labor & Employment Law, Privacy, Science, Computers, & Technology
On August 14, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reaffirmed and clarified important protections for employees with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973…
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/ Labor & Employment Law
