NC top court decision keeps domestic violence ruling intact

North Carolina’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's ruling that said domestic violence protection orders must apply to same-sex dating cases. The state’s highest court affirmed and altered on Friday a Court of Appeals decision from 2020. The case involved a woman who ended her relationship with another woman and feared for her safety. The appeals panel ruled that a state law treated LGBT people differently and therefore violated the North Carolina and U.S. constitutions. The law allowed protection orders between former and current spouses and couples who live or have lived in the same household. But it prevented protection orders for people in same-sex relationships who are not spouses or former spouses and who are not current or former household members.