Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

On July 8, ALJ Karlene Turrentine issued an order formally denying my Rule 60(b) motion and my motion to strike DOJ’s unauthorized June 12 filing—without citing a single rule, case, or factual correction. She claimed I “failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted,” ignoring every legal argument I raised and failing to engage with even the most basic due process issues I documented. She also dismissed my motion to strike without acknowledging the jurisdictional problem: that DOJ cannot lawfully represent an administrative tribunal under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 150B-23(a). The order reads like a form letter, devoid of analysis, issued purely to shut the case down—not to address the substance.

This decision was issued after I gave ALJ Turrentine a final opportunity to correct her earlier legal error, in which she claimed Rule 59(e) didn’t apply to administrative rulings—despite clear precedent to the contrary. I warned her that by refusing to rule or correct the record, she risked becoming an official defendant in my federal § 1983 claim. With this denial, that threshold has now been crossed. The record reflects a pattern of retaliatory adjudication, selective rule enforcement, and institutional cover-up—not impartial review. This ruling didn’t close the case—it opened up a new tier of accountability.


Turrentine’s Order