North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson stands and claps during Gov. Josh Stein's State of the State address in the House chamber on March 12, 2025. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)

As North Carolina’s top lawyer, Attorney General Jeff Jackson has many important jobs — handling important criminal prosecutions, protecting consumers, representing state agencies in litigation. But if there’s a duty that is clearly his Number One priority, it has to be defending North Carolinians from unlawful attacks on their rights and well-being.

And it’s in light of this obvious fact that Jackson should be commended for his recent action challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful scheme to cancel billions of dollars in Health and Human Services grants already allocated by Congress.

In bringing suit along with 21 other attorneys general, Jackson rightfully blasted the move by Trump and his right-hand man Elon Musk to slash more than $230 million in critical health care funding for North Carolina as both unlawful and dangerous.

The bottom line: In standing up for our state, Attorney General Jackson is doing precisely what voters elected him to do. Trump apologists in the legislature who are currently seeking to prevent Jackson from challenging presidential orders, are dead wrong.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.