Charlotte City Council members had been told by Governor-elect Roy Cooper, a Democrat, that under a deal he had struck with some lawmakers, the legislature would repeal H.B. 2 if Charlotte repealed its ordinance — thus paving the way for local jurisdictions to pass antidiscrimination ordinances in the future.

Charlotte officials did as Mr. Cooper advised and waited for the General Assembly to do its part. But shamefully, the lawmakers reneged.

This is a travesty for all North Carolina residents, who will continue to suffer a backlash from companies that simply don’t want to invest or do business in a state that condones discrimination. And it’s likely to get worse. On Thursday, William Barber II, the president of the North Carolina NAACP, said he would ask the national organization to call for an economic boycott of the state. Job expansion plans by some companies and some conferences have already been canceled, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Basketball Association have decided to move some sports events out of the state.

Taxpayers will be forced to continue shouldering the cost of defending lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of H.B. 2. Litigation may be the most effective means to strike down this unjust law, but definitive rulings may take several months.