Southern Politics

March 27, 2013 - Should the Supreme Court strike down bans on same-sex marriage, it would bring big changes across the South, where all states limit marriage rights to heterosexual couples -- and it wouldn't be the first time it took a high court ruling to change the region's marriage laws.

March 26, 2013 - A provision of the North Carolina constitution designed to suppress the black vote is no longer enforceable under the Voting Rights Act, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to give voters a second chance to remove it.

February 21, 2013 - The biggest obstacle President Obama faces in his push for immigration reform may be Senate Democrats facing tough races in 2014. But given the changing face of the Southern electorate, their wavering on reform may be short-sighted.

February 15, 2013 - With North Carolina flipping back into the Republican column, you could say that the new Solid South begins in Henderson, N.C. and ends in Valdosta, Ga., bracketed by Virginia and Florida.

February 14, 2013 - Once known as the "most aggressively conservative" federal appeals court and the "black hole of capital litigation," the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond has shifted to the center, thanks to six appointments by President Obama.

February 8, 2013 - The mismatch between who voters chose for Congress, and the actual makeup of the U.S. House after the 2012 elections, has sparked a new debate about gerrymandering. But what's the best solution to ensure the wishes of voters are honored?

February 7, 2013 - The woman picked to lead North Carolina's early childhood education programs is facing media scrutiny for derogatory statements she's made on social media. In 2005 she was at the center of another controversy: a widely-discredited government website accused of anti-gay bias and peddling false information about contraception and abortion.