Philip Edward Berger (born August 8, 1952) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

representing the state's thirtieth Senate district, which includes Caswell, Rockingham, Stokes, and Surry counties. An attorney born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Berger was first elected to the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

in 2000. He became minority leader in 2004, and in 2010, he was selected by his fellow Republicans as their choice for the next Senate President Pro Tem. Berger was officially elected president Pro Tem when the legislature opened on January 26, 2011.

Early life and education

Berger was born in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

; he graduated from George Washington High School in

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

, in 1970 and studied briefly at

Danville Community College Danville Community College (DCC) is one of the twenty-three two-year colleges in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). It is located in Danville, Virginia. Unlike many of the other VCCS schools, it predates the formation of a statewide ...

. Berger earned a bachelor's degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

from

Averett College , established = , type = Private university , endowment = $21.3 million (2019) , staff = , faculty = 270 , president = Tiffany M. Franks , principal = , rector = , chance ...

in 1980 and a J.D. degree from

Wake Forest University School of Law The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredited ...

in 1982, after which he entered law practice.

Voting rights

Voter ID laws

In 2016, Berger supported voter ID legislation. The

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...

deemed the laws to "target African Americans with almost surgical precision in an opinion written by Diana Motz, an appointee of President Bill Clinton. Berger criticized the ruling as a "decision by three partisan Democrats." Democratic Presidents appointed the three judges working on the case; however, only two have been directly associated with the Democratic party. In 2017, the Supreme Court chose not to take up the case, allowing the lower court's decision to stand. In 2018, a referendum for a Constitutional amendment was approved by a majority of voters. Berger voted to pass legislation that would enroll the amendment later in the year during a lame-duck session. In 2019, a North Carolina judge offered an opinion that the General Assembly was illegally constituted and unable to make law. However, the Governor enrolled the amendment, which remains a portion of the Constitution. Further court proceedings are underway.

COVID-19 pandemic

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Berger led Republican opposition to North Carolina Board of Elections recommendations to make voting by mail easier.

Personal life

He is married to Patricia Hays; they have three children, Philip Jr., Kevin, and Ashley, as well as four grandchildren.

References

# http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article68401147.html # http://wunc.org/post/sifting-through-facts-house-bill-2#stream/0 # http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2016/04/red-ventures-reconsiders-staff-up-at-charlotte.html # http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2016/04/red-ventures-reconsiders-staff-up-at-charlotte.html # http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article68797392.html # http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article69320567.html NCAA basketball tournament # https://web.archive.org/web/20160331095445/http://press.highpointmarket.org/market-press-releases/300 statement # https://web.archive.org/web/20170207020036/http://www.cggc.duke.edu/pdfs/2013-09-30HighPointMarket-economic-impact-analysis-1.pdf , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Phil 1952 births 21st-century American legislators Averett University alumni Lawyers from New Rochelle, New York Living people Republican Party North Carolina state senators People from Rockingham County, North Carolina Politicians from New Rochelle, New York Wake Forest University alumni