NC General Assembly halfway to veto override on court size

By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s House has voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of legislation that reduces the number of judges on the state Court of Appeals.

Wednesday’s vote means the bill will become law if the GOP-controlled Senate completes the override.

Cooper has said reducing the intermediate-level appeals court from 15 judges to 12 through attrition will increase the remaining judges’ workloads. With a smaller court, the Democratic governor also won’t be able to appoint replacements for Republican judges who could soon retire.

Republicans say a smaller court can handle the workload and will save taxpayer money.

The House vote came a day after lawmakers overrode another Cooper veto of legislation reducing his authority over administering state elections.

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