RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina court has struck down more legislation Republicans approved for their lame-duck governor’s signature to erode the powers of an incoming Democrat.
A Wake County judge ruled that the General Assembly unconstitutionally allowed outgoing GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, not Roy Cooper, to pick the leadership of the Industrial Commission, which rules in workers’ compensation cases. The lawmakers also let McCrory’s appointment to a commission vacancy be extended until 2025. McCrory appointed his chief of staff’s wife, Yolanda Stith, and named her vice chairman.
The judge’s Monday ruling ends her appointment next year instead. Cooper’s office named a new chairman and vice chairman Tuesday from the board’s membership.
Many of the moves Republicans made in 2016 to limit the next governor’s powers are still being challenged in court.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that McCrory, not Cooper, appointed Stith.
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