North Carolina’s top court: Legislators can confirm Cabinet
Gary D. Robertson, Associated Press
Updated 4:31 pm CST, Friday, December 21, 2018
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s highest court on Friday upheld a law subjecting the governor’s choices to run his top agencies to confirmation votes by the state Senate, providing a legal victory to Republican legislators.
The state Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of GOP legislative leaders who passed the confirmation requirement for Cabinet secretaries just before Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper took office in early 2017.
Cooper sued over the new process, calling it unconstitutional. The law was among several changes approved in an extraordinary December 2016 session that eroded or checked powers of Cooper, who had just narrowly defeated then-GOP Gov. Pat McCrory.
