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• N.C. public financing case goes to Supreme Court

  The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to examine North Carolina's public financing system for statewide judges. If judges spend more than a predetermined amount on their campaigns, the law triggers “rescue funds” for their opponents.

  The 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld giving judicial candidates state funds in a case called Duke vs. Leake. (That's Superior Court Judge Rusty Duke of Greenville who ran for chief justice and Larry Leake, chairman of the N.C. State Board of Elections.)

  James Bopp Jr., an attorney representing Duke and the N.C. Right to Life Committee, said last week that he appealed the decision to the nation's highest court because opponents shouldn't benefit from expenditures that candidates and independent groups want to make in a campaign.

  The N.C. Attorney General's office hasn't filed its response to the appeal yet. It has said in previous filings that the law helps “combat actual and apparent corruption.”

  The Supreme Court should decide whether to take the case in September, Bopp said.

  Museum curator, camp counselor and hospital receptionist are among the jobs Watt plans to perform this week during his 12th annual “Trading Places” event. Watt says working alongside constituents helps him “understand their needs” and how he can serve them in Washington.

  Here's a sample of what he's up to on the four-day tour that begins Tuesday: teaching assistant at the Community Kitchen in Winston-Salem, assembly worker at Industries of the Blind in Greensboro, curator at the Rowan Museum in Salisbury, patrol officer with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, and fare inspector at the Charlotte Area Transit Lynx Light Rail.

  Watt spends about an hour at each of the 18 jobs.

  Watt held his latest hearing on credit scores last week, and McClatchy reporter Kat Glass was on hand to observe that he isn't one of those folks who keeps his personal business close to the vest.

  “My Vantage score interestingly enough is the maximum you can get: 990. My Equifax doesn't even begin to approach 850, which is the maximum. How do you explain that?” Watt asked of the various credit scores.

  Chet Wiermanski, a vice president for credit-scoring company

  TransUnion, said that a single credit history can be measured on different scales – much like the weather can be measured using Fahrenheit or Celsius.

  “The problem I have with what you just said is that I never have understood what Celsius is,” Watt quipped.

  The House voted 326-102 Wednesday to authorize the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the tobacco industry.

  Rep. Heath Shuler, a Waynesville Democrat, joined all N.C. Republicans in opposing the measure.

  In a 213-212 partisan showdown Thursday over whether to adjourn for five weeks, all Democrats voted for the resolution and all Republicans opposed it.

  In a 48-40 vote for adjournment Friday in the Senate, all four Carolina Republicans opposed it.

  DeMint was one of the nay votes in an 89-3 roll call making changes to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.