Mitchell v. Univ. of N.C. Bd. of Governors

Summary

The court held that North Carolina courts must independently interpret state administrative rules and regulations using de novo review, although an agency's views may inform the court's analysis and are never binding. It also held that its jurisdiction was limited to the remand issue identified in the Court of Appeals dissent and that remand was unwarranted because the First Amendment balancing question was a legal issue already addressed below. The court therefore modified and affirmed the Court of Appeals judgment without deciding the merits of the First Amendment claim.