New Delhi, Aug. 23 -- The North Carolina Supreme Court issued favorable rulings Friday for bars and their operators in litigation seeking monetary compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions first issued by then-Gov. Roy Cooper that shuttered their doors and, in their view, treated them unfairly compared to restaurants.

The majority decisions by the justices mean a pair of lawsuits - one filed by several North Carolina bars and their operators and the second by the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association and other private bars - remain alive, and future court orders directing the state pay them financial damages are possible.

As a way to ease the spread of coronavirus, Cooper - a Democrat who left office last December and is...