GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse leveled a threat at the North Carolina Supreme Court that would make authoritarians the world over proud. He said that that if the court ruled against the GOP in the question of ballot language in this year’s constitutional amendments, members could face impeachment by the legislature. What’s even more disturbing is that nobody in the GOP rebuked Woodhouse and he’s yet to rescind his statement, though he did try to clarify it.
House Speaker Tim Moore’s office wouldn’t discount the possibility of impeachment and Senate President Pro-Tem Phil Berger said there’s been no discussion about impeachment. Neither would completely disavow the threat and neither rebuked Woodhouse. No other prominent Republicans came out to disavow the statement.
I suspect that Woodhouse is laying the groundwork for a court packing scheme. His statement sounds outrageous but it signals to partisans that the court is somehow corrupt. The GOP base is already made up of the folks carrying pitchforks. Directing them to the court shouldn’t be too difficult.
And in this age of both-sideism in journalism, he’s fishing for a story to explain, and therefore justify, why Republicans would impeach duly elected judges. So if Republicans lose another seat on the court in November or their next few court cases, they can point to the article and the loses and say, “See, we had to do something.” Packing the court will seem mild compared to impeaching judges.
In language straight out of Orwell, Woodhouse explains that he’s concerned about the separation of powers, implying that it’s the court that is overreaching. A major function of the court is to prevent legislative and executive overreach. Neutering the court or punishing its member for findings contrary to the will of the legislature is a threat to the checks and balances that make our government work.
Woodhouse threatened the Supreme Court Justices. His statements would have been seen as inappropriate by either party just a few years ago. Not anymore. The Republican Party of Donald Trump rewards authoritarian instincts and proclamations. He statement was a rallying cry to his base. He’s preparing for another assault on democracy.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
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