NC legislative committee demands personal political records from State Bar
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Legislative committee demanded State Bar staff and council political records from 2012.
- State Bar director refused, saying the agency does not collect personal political data.
- Committee term extended to 2026 with expanded oversight, prompting broader Bar scrutiny.
A legislative committee recently requested a comprehensive list of the political affiliations of North Carolina’s State Bar employees and leaders, as well as a record of all of their political contributions over the last 13 years.
State Bar Executive Director Peter Bolac denied that request in a letter sent Monday, Nov. 17, writing that the agency does not maintain personal political information about its staff or members of its council.
“Their job responsibilities as civil servants are apolitical, and the State Bar’s hiring practices are consistent with public policy,” he wrote.
The request was sent by the State Bar Grievance Review Committee, which is tasked with recommending changes to the system that investigates and disciplines attorneys. Lawmakers, however, recently expanded the committee’s charge to review broader concerns with the Bar.
Asked the motivation behind the request, committee chair Lawrence Shaheen told The News & Observer that he thought it was “important that we discover whether or not we have a diversity of thought.”
“For the last couple of years, under the DEI standards, they’ve had statistical information on all kinds of information about diversity,” he continued. “So we want to make sure that we have an understanding about what the diversity of thought is.”
Shaheen added that legislative staff could potentially compile the requested information themselves in the future.
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the committee met for the first time this year. The request for political information was not on the meeting’s agenda, but as the committee wrapped up, State Bar President-Elect Kevin Williams said he was “troubled” by the letter the committee sent.
“That feels partisan to me,” he said. “... Not once in 10 years have I ever heard politics creep into any discussion about any lawyer coming before the grievance committee.”
Committee co-chair Woody White said he believed it was an appropriate question to determine if one party predominated over another in the Bar.
“If the data point came back and there were 80/20, 90/10, one party or the other — without regard to the party — that would suggest something,” he said.
The legislative oversight committee
Republican lawmakers created the Grievance Review Committee in 2023 through a provision in the state budget. The committee published a report on its recommendations last year, which resulted in lawmakers passing a bill with various reforms to the attorney disciplinary process in a bipartisan vote.
After the report published, the committee was supposed to disband. However, in a “technical corrections” bill passed this spring, lawmakers extended the committee’s term through the end of 2026 and greatly expanded its scope.
“The committee may review any other aspect or area of the North Carolina State Bar the committee deems concerning, needing improvement, or necessary in fulfilling its duties,” the bill, which Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signed in May, says.
The committee now appears to be flexing its expanded mandate.
What the committee wants
In a Nov. 10 letter obtained by The N&O, Shaheen and White asked Bolac to provide them with extensive political information about the Bar’s staff and leaders.
The State Bar, which is charged with regulating North Carolina’s 30,000 licensed lawyers, is governed by a 59-member council of attorneys who are elected by other lawyers in their communities. The Bar also employs over 100 staff members.
In their letter to Bolac, White and Shaheen ask him to provide the political affiliations of all employees and councilors, as well as a list of their political contributions dating back to 2012.
Colon Willoughby, a former president of the State Bar who previously sat on the legislative committee in question, called the request “unusual.”
“In my years of being involved with the State Bar — on the Council and in leadership — I don’t recall there being any inquiries or discussion about anyone’s political affiliation or contributions,” he told The N&O.
In his letter denying the committee’s request, Bolac wrote that “political party affiliation plays no role in the selection or service of State Bar Councilors.”
“Accordingly, the agency does not inquire into or maintain the information you requested,” he said.
Capitol Bureau Chief Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 18, 2025 at 1:29 PM.
