NC Supreme Court Refuses To Save Cooper, So He Sues Again

RALEIGH – The N.C. Supreme Court issued a one sentence decision ruling Tuesday, denying Cooper’s attempt to have a three-judge panel ruling on the merged elections and ethics boards thrown out. The lower court ruling unanimously upheld the General Assembly’s ability to reform and merge the boards, while requiring changes to its membership structure.

So what did Cooper do? He turned right around and sued again, of course. Because allowing the Republican legislature to carry out their constitutionally outlined powers and implement a bipartisan board of elections is beyond the pale.

“House Bill 90 , set to take effect Friday, March 16, would address the membership issue. The new board would have nine members, all appointed by Cooper. He would appoint four Democrats and four Republicans from lists of candidates proposed by each major party. Those eight members would recommend two unaffiliated voters as candidates for Cooper’s ninth appointment.

Cooper’s latest suit challenges that arrangement. He’s seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. His goal is to block the portion of H.B. 90 that deals with the merged elections and ethics board.

“Just days after a lower court ruled against the governor, the North Carolina Supreme Court just rejected his latest attempt to prevent bipartisan elections and ethics enforcement — and yet he’s going to court again,” said Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, and Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, in a prepared statement.

“Today’s lawsuit – filed against a bill the governor pledged he would allow to become law – tries to stop not only the bipartisan elections enforcement that 80 percent of North Carolinians want […]””

While Cooper throws tantrums in the court room, the yet to be appointed board has multiple investigations on their docket. With no board members, no investigations or decisions can take place. One of those investigations is an ethics complaint against Cooper related to the $58 million slush fund he arranged for as part of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline deal.

Cooper is suing because he doesn’t want the board to essentially split power between Republicans and Democrats. He wants as much control as possible, using the judicial branch as a bulwark against the natural and by design weaknesses built into the executive branch. All so he can wage partisan political battles.

Cooper didn’t spend this much time in the courtroom when he was the State’s attorney general, but the common denominator is political. He refused to uphold his duty to defend the State as attorney general, and now can’t stay out of the court room as governor, because he suffers an irresistible Leftist political bias that he favors above and beyond the state constitution and popularly elected legislative majorities.