N.C. Gen. Stat. § 53-415

If any provision of this Article, or its application, is found by any court of competent jurisdiction in the United States to be invalid as to any trust institution or other person or circumstance, or to be superseded by federal law, the provision shall be deemed modified only to the extent and only in the particular circumstances necessary to render the provision valid, and the remaining provisions of this Article shall not be affected and shall continue to apply to any trust institution or other person or circumstance.