When appointments are expected to be made to NC committee in Cecil Brockman case
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- House leaders formed a bipartisan House committee to review Brockman allegations.
- Brockman faces criminal charges over alleged sex crimes involving a 15-year-old.
- Top state leaders across parties urged Brockman to resign as proceedings start.
Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I’m Avi Bajpai.
Leadership in the N.C. House announced last week that they were ready to start the procedure that could ultimately result in the expulsion of Rep. Cecil Brockman after his arrest earlier this month on multiple alleged sex crimes involving a 15-year-old minor.
Top Democrats and Republicans, including Gov. Josh Stein and leaders in the General Assembly, quickly called on Brockman to immediately resign from his seat after news of the criminal charges broke on Oct. 9, just over three weeks ago.
Brockman has appeared in court (virtually, after authorities said he had a medical emergency that warranted his hospitalization for a few days; he has since returned to the county jail in High Point). As we reported at the time, he attempted to make a statement during the hearing in Greensboro, but was repeatedly advised by the presiding judge not to do so without first speaking with his lawyer.
His next scheduled court appearance had been set for Nov. 13, but that hearing has now been rescheduled for Monday. A notice on the state’s online courts portal said the hearing was for “bond review/modification.”
So far, the 41-year-old Democratic lawmaker hasn’t made any public statements about the charges or whether he plans to resign.
It now appears the legislature may undertake the lengthy process of removing a sitting lawmaker from office, a power it has rarely exercised in hundreds of years of history.
House Speaker Destin Hall announced last week that he would form a bipartisan committee to review the allegations and criminal charges against Brockman, and the history and precedent of when and how members have been expelled in the past.
Hall initially said he expected to announce more details, including which lawmakers would be appointed to the committee the next day, but then told reporters he expected that announcement would take some more time while his office reviews past expulsions to determine next steps in the process.
On Wednesday, Hall spokeswoman Demi Dowdy told The News & Observer that attorneys with the speaker’s office are still reviewing how the committee was set up before the most recent removal — that of Democratic Rep. Thomas Wright in March 2008 — and how expulsion was handled in that case and other instances in the past.
Dowdy said Hall’s office has been in touch with House Minority Leader Robert Reives, who told reporters last week that he had submitted a list of names for Democratic appointments to the committee.
Hall’s office hopes to announce those appointments within a week or so, Dowdy said.
Reives told reporters last week after Hall’s announcement that a committee would be formed that he wants the speaker to appoint “who he feels like will put us in the best position to move forward.”
“We’ve got some really good, smart people here on both sides that I’d like to see make the decision,” Reives said.
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A quick note of appreciation before you go
After more than four years at The N&O, I’ll be leaving the paper next week for another job opportunity.
I’m glad to be sticking around in Raleigh and will continue covering all things #ncga and #ncpol, and while I’m very much excited about what is next, I’m sad to be departing this newsroom that has become a personal and professional home for me.
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Some highlights from my times helming this newsletter over the years:
- Inside the final hours of Madison Cawthorn’s reelection campaign
- Three days is all it takes to push through a $27.9 billion spending plan
- Is the judiciary too politicized in NC? Here’s what Democrats and Republicans think
- Activists warned GOP’s anti-riot bill is dangerous. Democratic support for it grew.
- After years of negotiations, GOP leaders reach a breakthrough on Medicaid expansion
- A Democratic defection secures coveted veto-proof majority for NC Republicans
- A casino bill holding up the budget falls by the wayside, for now
- A debate about legislative rules reveals how session is different this year
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This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
