DURHAM, N.C.—Coming on the heels of the ruling to strip Davidson College of its police powers because of its religious ties, the North Carolina Supreme Court agreed to delay the enforcement of the Aug. 17 Court of Appeals ruling. The decision was the result of an incident that occurred four years ago when campus police arrested a woman, who was not a student, off campus and charged her with a DWI.
Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office has asked the court to reverse its decision. The attorney general’s office argued before a lower court that the college—which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and requires 80 percent of its trustees to be members of a Christian church—does not impose religious requirements on students, reports the Herald Sun.
The attorney general’s office requested the stay because the ruling “creates a substantial problem” for the school because classes have already started. The Supreme Court approved the request on Aug. 26.
The Court of Appeals ruling now has Durham, N.C. attorneys interested in challenging the arrest powers of Duke University’s campus police. Duke’s bylaws give two Methodist church groups confirmation rights over a majority of the school’s trustees.
