NC lawmakers named to investigate Cecil Brockman over charges. What they’ll do
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- House creates 12-member bipartisan committee to investigate Rep. Cecil Brockman
- Committee will assess probable cause, hold evidentiary hearings and recommend sanctions
- Brockman may attend, present evidence, cross-examine and seek legal representation
Updated: Rep. Cecil Brockman submitted his letter of resignation Oct. 31, shortly after this story was published. For more, see this story.
North Carolina House members will decide whether to expel a fellow lawmaker facing serious criminal charges.
Republican House Speaker Destin Hall has named the committee members who will work to potentially remove Rep. Cecil Brockman from office. Brockman is also being removed immediately from all House committees on which he serves, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Brockman, a High Point Democrat, has been held in the High Point Detention Center. The State Bureau of Investigation arrested him Oct. 8 on multiple felony charges: two counts of indecent liberties with a child and two counts of statutory sex offense with a minor who is 15 or younger, The News & Observer previously reported.
There were swift, bipartisan calls for him to step down, but weeks later, Brockman had yet to resign.
About an hour after the 12-member bipartisan committee was announced — six Democrats and six Republicans — Brockman submitted his resignation letter to the principal clerk of the N.C. House of Representatives late Friday afternoon. The typed letter was first dated Oct. 22, which was crossed out and replaced with a handwritten Oct. 31.
Brockman’s letter says: “I am currently facing criminal charges brought against me in Guilford County. Due to the seriousness of these allegations, I need to focus on my defense of these allegations.”
As a result, Brockman wrote, he’s unable to fulfill his duty and service to his constituents and was resigning effective immediately. Brockman did not address the specific charges.
Here’s who’s on the House select committee created to “investigate alleged miscount and other matters included in charges” against Brockman, why they have the power to do that, and what they’ll do now.
How the House wields power against a member
The committee cites sections of the North Carolina Constitution to give them the power for this investigation, including that it:
- Requires “each house of the General Assembly to be the judge of the qualifications of its members”
- Provides “that a member of the General Assembly is disqualified from his or her office if adjudged guilty of treason, any other felony, or corruption or malpractice in any office.”
The committee also declares: “the House of Representatives possesses the inherent power of a legislative body to discipline its members for violations of its rules, for unlawful behavior, for unethical conduct, for corruption or malpractice in office, for violations of the oath of office, and for offenses injurious to the House.”
The committee description says it’s necessary for the House to investigate Brockman and determine if he can continue to serve.
Democrats and Republicans on the committee
Here are the House members appointed by Hall to the committee:
- Rep. John Bell, co-chair. Bell is also Rules Committee chair, a top leadership position.
- Rep. Robert Reives, co-chair. Reives is the Democratic leader. Democrats are in the minority.
- Rep. Brenden Jones, co-chair. Jones is also the House majority leader.
- Democratic Rep. Vernetta Alston
- Republican Rep. Julia Howard
- Democratic Rep. Becky Carney
- Republican Rep. Charles Miller
- Democratic Rep. Carla Cunningham
- Republican Rep. Mike Schietzelt
- Democratic Rep. Brandon Lofton
- Republican Rep. Harry Warren
- Democratic Rep. Shelly Willingham
What the committee will do
The new committee will investigate the charges against Brockman “and other allegations of possible unethical or unlawful conduct,” as well as anything else Hall refers to them.
They’ll have a preliminary investigation to determine whether there is probable cause that Brockman did anything unethical or unlawful, and notify Brockman of their determination.
If the committee decides they do have probable cause to continue, there will be an evidentiary hearing to decide if Brockman’s actions provide grounds for sanctions.
The committee will submit a report that will lay out those potential sanctions and recommend legislation to take action against Brockman, which may include reprimand, censure or expulsion.
Brockman is allowed to attend, present evidence, cross-examine witnesses and have legal representation at any of the committee’s evidentiary hearings.
Reives told reporters last week that there was no logistical reason that Brockman has been unable to submit a resignation if he chose.
The most recent state lawmaker to be expelled from office is former Democratic Rep. Thomas Wright of Wilmington, who was removed in March 2008 after being indicted for fraud and obstruction of justice.
An extra legislative session was called to expel Wright, who was removed for “unethical conduct unfitting and unbecoming a member of the House of Representatives,” according to legislative records.
Avi Bajpai contributed to this story.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM.
