A New Bern doctor's legal battle against state medical restrictions must go through the standard appeals process.
The North Carolina Supreme Court has declined to fast-track a constitutional challenge against the state’s certificate-of-need laws.
New Bern eye surgeon Dr. Jay Singleton filed the lawsuit in 2020. He argues the current law creates an unconstitutional monopoly by stopping him from performing standard surgeries at his own vision center. Patients must instead go to a local hospital that holds the region's only state permit.
A special 3-judge panel upheld the medical restrictions last December.
Dr. Singleton wanted the state's highest court to bypass the normal review process to speed up his appeal. The Supreme Court's refusal means the state Court of Appeals will hear the case first.
