North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has signed a law to strip Gov.-elect Roy Cooper, a Democrat, of some of his gubernatorial powers in what The Associated Press deemed an "extraordinary move." Cooper had threatened to sue if the Republicans took such measures, calling the power play "unconstitutional" and saying GOP lawmakers would "see me in court, and they don't have a good track record there."
Republican lawmakers had introduced the bills in a surprise special session Wednesday, in hopes of stripping powers from Cooper before he takes office in January; Cooper narrowly unseated McCrory in a bitter election that the incumbent only conceded nearly four weeks after votes were cast, ending four years of unified Republican control in the state. Republicans want to strip the governor of control over local election boards and the right to appoint University of North Carolina trustees, and are seeking to cut to 300 from 1,500 the number of state employees who serve at the governor's pleasure in an effort to protect hundreds of McCrory appointees.
"Most people might think this is a partisan power grab, but it's really more ominous," Cooper told Politico.
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