You may not fully understand the process. The lawsuit was filed in federal court, which means that every state in the 4th circuit (NC, SC, VA, WV, and MD) would be bound by the precedent set. So it would have broader implications than just NC state law.

And it doesn’t stop there. Landmark decisions like the one in the 6th circuit last year (Snyder v. Does) chip away at the foundations of the registry laws. If enough districts begin to agree that registries are punitive as applied then it will all but become a nation-wide precedent. If there is enough division among the districts, SCOTUS may feel obligated to step in.

Civil rights laws did not change overnight, even when most people agreed that they should. Why would you expect it to happen for the most reviled population in the history of ever? It might seem to be taking forever, but the anti-registry train is actually picking up steam. Before long, lawmakers won’t have a leg to put on their soapbox and they’ll have to find another group to martyr.

The only way to stop the madness is a US constitutional amendment which restores human and civil rights to those on the registry and prohibits any future persecution. Of course that will never happen in any of our lifetimes.