Cooper sues NC lawmakers, claiming 'blatantly unconstitutional legislative power grab'

Cooper sues NC lawmakers, claiming 'blatantly unconstitutional legislative power grab'

Posted 5:30 p.m. Oct 10 - Updated 8:37 p.m. Oct 10

Snip...Gov. Roy Cooper is suing..snip
It's not the first time legislative leaders have sought to reduce the governor's power, nor the first time he's sued them over it. Even before Cooper had been sworn into office, in the days following his first gubernatorial win in late 2016, the legislature began chipping away at the power of the governor's office.

The latest effort is SB 512, which takes away the governor's ability to appoint dozens of members of state boards and commissions dealing with education, public health, transportation, the environment and more. Instead, the law gives that power to the leadership of the state General Assembly.

“This law is a blatantly unconstitutional legislative power grab,” Cooper said in announcing his lawsuit. “Over the years, the North Carolina Supreme Court has repeatedly held in bipartisan decisions that the legislature cannot seize executive power like this no matter what political parties control which offices. The efforts of Republican legislators to destroy the checks and balances in our constitution are bad for people and bad for our democracy.”

Spokespeople for the top state legislative leaders didn't respond to a request for comment about Cooper's lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wake County, but Republican lawmakers earlier on Tuesday defended the law as their attempt to increase accountability.
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https://www.wral.com/story/cooper-sues-nc-lawmakers-claiming-blatantly-unconstitutional-legislative-power-grab/21090572/