Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

North Carolina's voter-approved marriage amendment is in the legal and political crosshairs following a ruling on Virginia's similar ban on gay marriage that has been ruled unconstitutional. You'll hear about the ruling and reaction from all angles, including Attorney General Roy Cooper, who says his office will stop defending the state against legal challenges to the amendment, which passed with overwhelming support at the polls in 2012. Then we hear from Chris Brook of the North Carolina ACLU about his organization's support of gay marriage and from Tami Fitzgerald of the N.C. Values Coalition about her group's opposition to gay marriage. Then host Donna Martinez delves into polling on the highly charged issue with Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling. That's followed by Jensen's data on the U.S. Senate race and why the Kay Hagan campaign is smiling right now, as well as new numbers that show both Democrats and Republicans in North Carolina's General Assembly are extremely unpopular with voters. Then Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson tells Martinez why HBO host Bill Maher is paying such close attention to the 2nd district congressional race between Republican Renee Ellmers and Democrat Clay Aiken. The two also discuss Kay Hagan's latest ad, which positions her as a centrist interested in bi-partisan solutions.