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Kings Mountain has asked for a bailout.

Don't panic. "Bailout" is the term used by the Justice Department when a government asks to be excused from the "preclearance" requirement of the Voting Rights Act. Preclearance is required for certain jurisdictions, predominantly in the South, who want to make changes to their elections.

A recent Supreme Court case allowed local governments to seek exemptions and Kings Mountain, which is located west of Gastonia, is the first local government to ask for an exemption, reports The Blog of Legal Times.

Hat tip: David Ingram

Welcome to Bob Orr 101: The Constitution and the Governor's Race 2008. Please have a seat.

Today, we'll be discussing Article V, Section 2(7), of the state Constitution, which says the state may appropriate money to a business only for "public purposes."

In Maready v. Winston Salem in 1996, the Supreme Court found in a 5-2 vote that cash and tax breaks given to 24 companies in Forsyth County met that test because they created jobs and helped the tax base grow.

Orr, then a Supreme Court justice, disagreed, saying the incentives were "corporate welfare."

"If a potential corporate entity is considering a move to Winston-Salem but will only come if country club memberships are provided for its executives, do we sanction the use of tax revenue to facilitate the move?" he wrote.

According to Orr, the recruitment of corporations through incentives only provided minimal job and tax base growth and hurt small communities that can't compete.

He also said the expenditures failed "the ultimate test for determining public purpose" by benefiting special interests as opposed to the public in general.

Bob Orr sometimes seems to be running for the head of the law review.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate is well-known among the press corps for his ability to cite the state constitution on almost any political issue.

Perhaps that's from his time teaching constitutional law or his years on the state Supreme Court or his recent stint as head of the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law.

But it doesn't play well on the campaign trail, and in recent weeks Orr has cut back.

Still, he can't always resist. Orr made it 28 minutes into a 30-minute debate on UNC-TV last week. Then, in response to a question about the state budget, he let it slip.

"The state constitution requires that North Carolina have a balanced budget," he said.

A key test for Orr at tonight's WRAL debate: Can he make it through the debate without mentioning the constitution? Dome will be watching.