Impeach Justices?

by Tom Campbell, Producer and Moderator, NC SPIN, August 18, 2018

Dallas Woodhouse, Executive Director of the state Republican Party, lobbed a grenade into a Friday discussion about the Constitutional Amendments on  November's ballot, by suggesting that our Supreme Court Justices might be impeached that if they prevent them from going to a vote.

 Was this a threat to intimidate our high court, is there some genuine discussion taking place about how to punish the court if they don't hew the legislative line or was  it just Dallas being Dallas?

Whatever, it was it won't help the chances for the amendments. In the first place Woodhouse obviously doesn't know Chief Justice Mark Martin very well or he would know Martin's not the type to suffer threats graciously. Secondly, the three judge panel hasn't even ruled definitively on the amendments and there's no guarantee the matter would even be appealed to the Supremes. Gerry Cohen, the legal advisor to our legislators for years, says there's little evidence to suggest that their action could be an impeachable offense. Here's what our statutes say: We're also betting the average voter knows little about the 6 amendments that will be on the ballot and, as is usually the case, would likely vote in favor of them. However  all this additional controversy and publicity might even elevate it on the radar where that voter might question...and might even vote against one or more of them. The quieter the better, for those who want them all to pass.

It's getting to the point where politics in North Carolina is almost as entertaining (almost, I said) as what it taking place in the Capitol City. Thank goodness it gives us plenty of fodder to discuss on NC SPIN... we'll talk about all of this on next week on UNC-TV Friday night at 7:30 and again Sunday morning at 6 a.m.