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78-638: The state of North Carolina's first constitution, adopted in 1776, permitted the North Carolina General Assembly to appoint "Judges of the Supreme Courts of Law and Equity", but no appellate court was created for several years. The first one was the Court of Conference, established in 1799, consisting of several North Carolina Superior Court judges sitting en banc twice each year to review appeals from their courts. In 1805,

156-458: A House of Commons with two members representing each of the existing 38 counties, plus one member from each of some select "borough towns". Districts continued to be represented in the Senate until 1835. Elections for senators were held annually. Due to the outbreak of hostilities, North Carolina's government met in various locations throughout the war. In September 1781, British forces captured

234-695: A body's respective rules committee before being brought before a full house for a vote. The constitution of North Carolina vests the state's legislative power in the General Assembly; the General Assembly writes state laws/statutes. Legislation in North Carolina can either be in the form of general laws or special/local laws. General laws apply to the entire state, while local laws apply only to specific counties or municipalities. The constitution requires that all effective laws be styled "The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:", with only

312-418: A chief justice from among their ranks. John Louis Taylor was selected as the first chief justice. In 1818, the General Assembly approved a bill proposed by State Senator William Gaston to create a distinct, independent Supreme Court with exclusive appellate jurisdiction over questions of law and equity arising from Superior Court cases. The court comprised three judges appointed by the General Assembly, with

390-577: A judgement of approximate wealth measured by tax receipts. Sessions for the legislature were changed from annual to biennial. The terms of senators were also changed accordingly. In May 1861, at the urging of the governor, the General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a convention to consider seceding from the United States. Later that month the convention met in Raleigh and adopted an Ordinance of Secession and adopted

468-526: A provisional legislature for Albemarle County and eventually was named the General Court and Committee. It held its first meeting in the spring of 1665. When the governor and his deputy were absent, the assembly would designate a president or speaker to lead its sessions. Approximately two years later, the temporary assembly divided the county into four precincts: Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. The freemen in each county were to convene at

546-477: A qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election." Elsewhere, the constitution specifies that qualified voters that are 21 are eligible for candidacy except if otherwise disqualified by the constitution, and that no elected officials may deny the existence of God , although the latter provision is no longer enforced. Prior to

624-776: A schedule of sitting for two terms annually, with the first beginning on beginning on the second Monday in June and the second on the last Monday in December. From 1819 until it burnt down in 1831, the court met in the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh . After the fire, the court briefly convened in the meeting house of the First Presbyterian Church until the capitol was rebuilt. Growing Jacksonian sentiment in North Carolina throughout

702-403: A single speaker. Both houses appoint a principal clerk—who keeps their respective bodies' records, a reading clerk—who reads documents as required by the constitution, house rules, or the presiding officer, and a sergeant at arms —who maintains order in their house. Standing committees in each house consider introduced legislation, hold hearings, and offer amendments. All bills are examined by

780-536: A state constitutionally-prescribed oath of office. In the event of the vacancy of a seat, the governor is constitutionally obligated to appoint a person nominated by the previous incumbent's political party's respective district executive committee to fill the seat. The assembly is styled after the citizen legislature model, with legislating considered a part-time job. Members receive a base salary of $ 13,951 per year, supplemented by per-diem payments and travel reimbursements. Increases in legislative pay adopted by

858-411: Is also responsible for drawing the districts of its own members and the districts of the state's congressional delegation after every decennial U.S. census . The legislative power of the assembly must be exercised by the whole body and not devolved upon a portion of the whole, and actions taken during one session of the assembly can be undone by a succeeding session. The governor signs bills passed by

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936-479: Is analogous to that in the Senate, except that in place of a president and president pro tempore , the body is led by a speaker and speaker pro tempore . The speaker is in charge of appointing the body's committees. Both officers are elected by the full house from among its members, with the rest determined by party caucuses. In the event of an even political divide in the House, co-speakers may be elected in lieu of

1014-401: Is not in session. Both houses are empowered to temporarily adjourn for three days or less at their own discretion. The proceedings of each house are constitutionally-required to be reported in official journals and published at the end of each session. The records of individual lawmakers are not subject to the state's public records law. Each house chamber has a gallery from which members of

1092-537: Is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly . The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House , who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Carolina Senate . Representatives serve two-year terms. The qualifications to be a member of the House are found in the state Constitution : "Each Representative, at the time of his election, shall be

1170-546: Is typically dominated by cases concerning interpretation of the constitution, major legal questions, and appeals of criminal cases involving capital punishment . First-degree murder convictions entailing capital sentences reached in trial courts are automatically scheduled for the court's review, as are cases involving North Carolina Utilities Commission rate determinations. The court is also required by law to examine all non-unanimous Court of Appeals decisions and may at its discretion hear appeals concerning unanimous decisions of

1248-546: The Constitution of the Confederate States . The convention met several times from then until November 1862, during which time it served as a transitional government for the state, superseding the authority of the General Assembly and making changes to state law on its own. After the president of the convention declined to convene it to discuss issues of wartime speculation and extortion, authority returned to

1326-519: The North Carolina Senate . Since 1868, the House has had 120 members, while the Senate has had 50 members. There are no term limits for either chamber. Both chambers have two-year terms and are currently controlled by the Republican Party , but only the House of Representatives by the three-fifths majority necessary to override vetoes . In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a royal charter to eight lords proprietor to establish

1404-848: The Senate and the House of Representatives . The General Assembly meets in the North Carolina State Legislative Building in Raleigh . The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes . The General Assembly is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the North Carolina House of Representatives (formerly called the North Carolina House of Commons until 1868) and

1482-437: The lieutenant governor . In this capacity they direct the debate on bills and maintain order in that house, but have little influence over its workflow. They cannot cast a vote in the Senate except to break ties. The president pro tempore is elected by the full Senate. They appoint the body's committees. All other leadership positions are filled by the decision of party caucuses. The leadership of House of Representatives

1560-503: The "long session" and typically only makes modifications to it during the "short session". Typically the legislature adjourns shortly after June 30, the end of North Carolina's fiscal year , following the passing of a budget. The governor may call the General Assembly into extraordinary session after consulting the Council of State and is required to convene the assembly in specific circumstances to review vetoed legislation. A majority of

1638-519: The 1776 Constitution, but made several amendments to it. Going forward, the governor would be elected by the people, but the legislature elected all other officials, including US Senators. Amendments set the number of senators at 50 and the number of commoners (representatives to the House) at 120. Senate districts were no longer required to be limited to individual counties, but instead be coterminous with which counties were to be included in it and based on

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1716-399: The 1820s and 1830s generated populist anger towards the court, with many citizens feeling the institution was distant from the people and that the judges were over-compensated. Populist legislators introduced a measure to reduce the judges' salaries in 1832 and a constitutional amendment to abolish the court in 1835, but such actions did not succeed. Legal scholar Martin H. Brinkley attributed

1794-553: The 1980s. As a result, the legislature hired its own research staff, created an independent judicial office to review administrative affairs in the state bureaucracy, and began appointing its own members to state board and commissions, though the latter practice was ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1982. In 1977, the state constitution was amended to allow for governors and lieutenant governors to seek second terms. Shortly thereafter,

1872-465: The Council of State can call the legislature into session to consider the governor's mental capacity to serve. A basic majority of the members of a house constitute a quorum to do business. When in session, both Houses of the legislature typically meet on Monday evenings and in the middle of the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Legislative committees usually convene in the mornings and late afternoons. Committees sometimes meet when their house

1950-453: The Court of Appeals, if the court determines that a case involves a significant public interest, raises questions of major legal principles, or if a delay in its resolution would risk great harm. Justices of the court also sometimes issue advisory opinions in response to questions of law brought by officials in the executive and legislative branches. The Supreme Court is constitutionally required to meet in Raleigh, unless directed otherwise by

2028-481: The General Assembly of which they approve into law and are empowered to veto bills of which they disapprove. A veto can be overridden by a three-fifths majority vote of the assembly. Local bills and congressional and legislative reapportionment decisions are not subject to gubernatorial veto. Aside from regular legislation, the two houses of the General Assembly can also issue joint resolutions which are not subject to veto. The assembly wields oversight authority over

2106-500: The General Assembly renamed the institution the "Supreme Court", but left its composition the same. Five years later a law was passed empowering the governor to provide an official seal and motto for the court and granting the right of appeal to all parties in cases adjudicated by the Superior Court. The law also stipulated that the judges should record their decisions in writing and read them in court and permitted them to elect

2184-521: The General Assembly to provide for the filling of executive offices not already provided for in the constitution. The body is also empowered to resolve contested elections for state executive officers by joint ballot. Its advice and consent is required for the installation of some state agency heads. The assembly can also influence the bureaucracy through its power to create for dissolve agencies or countermand administrative rules by writing laws and by its decisions in appropriations. The constitution empowers

2262-529: The General Assembly. State law permits the court to hold sessions in Morganton and Edenton . The court and its staff are housed in the Justice Building at 2 East Morgan Street in Raleigh. The justices sit for proceedings in a courtroom on the third floor. The justices appoint their own court clerk, librarian, and reporter. The chief justice of the court is responsible for appointing the director of

2340-405: The House and that all Senate districts were supposed to contain approximately equal populations, though the latter tenant was undermined by a constitutional requirement that no counties be split between different districts. As a result, by the 1960s, rural constituents were significantly overrepresented in the legislature. Following developments in federal jurisprudence in the early 1960s that led to

2418-434: The House of Representatives in 1969. The number of black legislators steadily increased in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, Henry Ward Oxendine became the first Native American member of the legislature. In the early 1970s, Democratic legislators, spurred in part by the election of a Republican governor in 1972, began an effort to strengthen the General Assembly's power and influence in state government which continued into

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2496-410: The House of Representatives to impeach elected state officials by simple majority vote. In the event an official is impeached, the Senate holds a trial, and can convict an official by two-thirds majority vote and remove them from office. The General Assembly can also, by a two-thirds majority vote, determine the governor or a judge mentally or physically incapable of serving. The General Assembly has

2574-421: The House, feeling threatened by the strengthened positions of the governor and Senate leadership, broke from a decades-long trend and began electing speakers to successive terms. In the mid-1980s, the legislature ceased using multi-member legislative districts. In 1994, Daniel F. McComas became the first Latino elected to the General Assembly. The General Assembly has 170 elected members, with 120 members of

2652-461: The House. Despite efforts by Red Shirts and other white Democratic paramilitary groups to disrupt Republican meetings and suppress black voting in order to ensure the Democratic takeover, some African Americans continued to be elected in the 19th century, especially to local offices. Between 1868 and 1900, 113 blacks were elected to the House of Representatives. But shortly before the turn of

2730-625: The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, the chief administrative law judge of the Office of Administrative Hearings, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals, and the chief district court judges in each North Carolina District Courts district. A justice of the court is required by the constitution to administer the oath of office to an incoming governor. As the head of the state's General Court of Justice,

2808-570: The North Carolina House of Representatives and 50 members of the North Carolina Senate. Each represents a district. Each house has the sole power to judge the election and qualification of its own respective members. Legislators' are elected biennially in even-numbered years. Their terms of office begin at the start of the January following the year of their election. There are no term limits for legislators. All legislators swear

2886-500: The State Senate in 1930. Female representation slowly increased in the following decades. The General Assembly began increasing the length of its sessions and hiring more support staff in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1959, the General Assembly organized a commission to design and fund a new, larger meeting place to accommodate the body, its staff, and improve the delivery of services to the legislators. Construction began in 1961 and

2964-534: The Supreme Court can also be impeached and removed by the legislature. The Supreme Court consists of one chief justice and six associate justices. In the event the chief justice is temporarily unavailable, the senior associate justice may assume their responsibilities. The constitution permits the General Assembly to add up to two additional associate justices. Justices are popularly elected and serve eight-year terms. All candidates for election or appointment to

3042-521: The Supreme Court schedules the sessions of the North Carolina Superior Court , and is responsible for adopting the statewide Code of Judicial Conduct, which regulates the behavior of judges in the state. In the event the governor or lieutenant governor is impeached by the North Carolina House of Representatives , the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the impeachment trial in the North Carolina Senate . Justices of

3120-466: The area which eventually became North Carolina. In early 1665 the lords proprietor promulgated a constitution for Carolina, the Concessions and Agreement . The document provided for a governor, a council of six to 10 men chosen by the governor with the consent of the lords, and an elected assembly. It also stipulated that the assembly's consent was required for taxes to be levied and that vacancies in

3198-420: The assembly cannot take effect until after a succeeding election. Each house of the legislature has eight leadership roles. The Senate's leadership is made up of the president of the Senate, president pro tempore , majority leader, majority whip, majority caucus chair, minority leader, minority whip, and minority caucus chair. Per the constitution, the office of president of the Senate is held ex officio by

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3276-400: The assembly were to be filled by elections called by the governor and his council. A new royal charter for Carolina was granted in 1665 and required the forming of an assembly. After receiving his commission, Carolina Governor William Drummond summoned a body of freemen who selected 12 deputies to represent their interests. Together with the governor and his council, the deputies served as

3354-465: The beginning of every year to elect five representatives for the permanent assembly. The first election occurred on January 1, 1668. While required to abide by the Concessions and support the interests of the lords proprietor, the assembly was powerful and largely left to manage itself. It decided the length and locations of its own sessions, when it adjourned, and its own quorum. It wrote laws, levied taxes, created courts, incorporated towns, determined

3432-538: The century, the Democrats regained control of the state legislature (after a biracial coalition between Republicans and Populists had briefly held power) and passed laws to create barriers to voter registration through poll taxes , literacy tests and other devices. Applied subjectively by white administrators, these methods effectively disenfranchised most black people in the state. Black voters were eliminated by 1904. An estimated 75,000 black male citizens lost

3510-608: The city, and many lawyers later criticized the decisions made there for being deficient. The justices stopped traveling to Morganton after the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. They conducted little business during the war. After the war, the state of North Carolina adopted a new constitution in 1868. The overhauled judicial article prescribed the creation of a Supreme Court comprising five judges, namely one chief justice and four associate justices, all to be popularly-elected to serve eight-year terms. The governor

3588-479: The colony of Carolina in North America. Under the terms of the charter, regular management of the colony was to be overseen by a governor and a council. An assembly consisting of two representatives from each county elected by freeholders was to have the power to write laws with the approval of the governor, his council, and the lords proprietor. This system of government was ultimately never implemented in

3666-421: The court must be licensed to practice law in the state. The Court's current members are: 35°46′46″N 78°38′19″W  /  35.779412°N 78.638479°W  / 35.779412; -78.638479 North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the state government of North Carolina . The legislature consists of two chambers:

3744-399: The court's members with a heavy workload, and after the apparent death of Justice Thomas Samuel Ashe from stress, the constitution was amended to restore the court to its previous size in 1888. Beginning that year, the Supreme Court met in buildings located along the periphery of Union Square in Raleigh. In 1900, the Supreme Court ruled a law passed by the 1899 Democratic-dominated legislature

3822-457: The court's survival to "the personal prestige of the judges themselves", particularly Thomas Ruffin and Gaston, who respectively joined the court in 1829 and 1833. In 1846, the General Assembly passed a law requiring the court hold a term in Morganton every year to ease travel burdens for lawyers in the western portion of the state. The court had no access to a law library during its stay in

3900-500: The court. It has the power to depublish Court of Appeals decisions, thus allowing a lower ruling to stand but preventing it from forming legal precedent. The court's sole original jurisdiction is over cases of judicial discipline heard on the recommendation of the Judicial Standards Commission. It may, at its discretion, chose to hear direct appeals from trial courts without them first being brought before

3978-423: The creation of the principle of one man, one vote , in 1965 a U.S. District Court panel ruled that the state's legislative districts were unconstitutional. As a result, in the 1960s and 1970s the legislature designed districts in a manner which significantly rebalanced the representation of the state in a more equitable manner. Henry Frye became the state's first black legislator in the 20th century when he joined

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4056-595: The first time. In October 1975, the court adopted a new official seal, amending the Latin phrase Suum cuique to Suum cuique tribuere . The Supreme Court, along with the Court of Appeals, constitute the Appellate Division within North Carolina's unified court system, the General Court of Justice. The primary function of the Supreme Court is to decide questions of law that have arisen in the lower courts and before state administrative agencies. The court's docket

4134-430: The governor and several members of the General Assembly during a raid on Hillsborough . The war ended in 1783. Construction of a North Carolina State House began in the planned capital of Raleigh in 1792 and became the meeting place for the General Assembly in 1794. It was enlarged in 1820 and burnt down in 1831. The North Carolina State Capitol was completed in 1840. The Constitutional Convention of 1835 retained

4212-472: The judges to select a chief justice from among their number. Judges were salaried and served indefinitely "during good behavior". Interim vacancies were to be filled by the governor with the advice of the Council of State . The first judges were Taylor, Leonard Henderson, and John Hall. Henderson and Hall made Taylor chief justice, and the court held its first meeting on January 1, 1819. Eventually, it shifted to

4290-493: The last president of the Congress, as acting governor until the new legislature was elected and seated. Per the terms of the constitution, North Carolina had a government with a separation of powers divided amongst executive, legislative, and judicial branches, though the legislative branch retained the most power. The General Assembly was made a bicameral body, consisting of a Senate made up of one member from each county in

4368-705: The legislative services officer. Every legislator is assigned at least one legislative assistant or clerk, who manage legislators' schedules, relay communications with constituents, and offer advice on policy issues. Some legislators employ additional staff. The General Assembly's members and facilities are guarded by the North Carolina General Assembly Police . 35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W  /  35.7832028°N 78.6389556°W  / 35.7832028; -78.6389556 North Carolina House of Representatives Minority The North Carolina House of Representatives

4446-686: The legislature made executive officers and judges subject to popular election rather than appointment by the legislature. It also reverted legislative sessions from a biennial schedule to annual. African-American men were first elected to the state legislature in 1868, including Henry Epps , Abraham H. Galloway , and John A. Hyman in the Senate and Parker D. Robbins , Wilson Cary Nicholas , B. W. Morris, A. W. Stevens, John S. Leary , Isham Sweat , Henry C. Cherry, John H. Williamson, A.A. Crawford, Cuffie Mayo , W. T. J. Hayes , Ivey Hutchings , John S. W. Eagles , George W. Price , Thomas A. Sykes , James H. Harris, William Cawthorn, and Richard Falkner in

4524-556: The lower house increasingly viewed itself as the representative of the colonists' interests in opposition to the British Crown's interests as relayed by the governor and the council. Frequent tensions between Governor Josiah Martin —a firm supporter of the secret instructions—and the Assembly in the 1770s led the latter to establish a committee of correspondence and accelerated the colony's break with Great Britain. In 1774,

4602-613: The members of the governor's council were chosen by the Privy Council and were responsible to the British king. During the period of royal control after 1731, North Carolina's governors were issued sets of secret instructions from the Privy Council's Board of Trade . The directives were binding upon the governor and dealt with nearly all aspects of colonial government. As they were produced by officials largely ignorant of

4680-460: The name of the House of Commons to the House of Representatives. The constitution also created the office of lieutenant governor which was to be filled by popular statewide election. It replaced the speaker of the Senate as that body's presiding officer and assumed the former office's role in succeeding to the governorship in the event it became vacant. Property qualifications for holding office were abolished in order to enlarge opportunity. Finally,

4758-616: The people of the colony elected a provincial congress , independent of the royal governor, as the American Revolution began. Inspired by the structure of the lower house of the general assembly and organized in part by House Speaker John Harvey , its purpose was to chose delegates to send to the Continental Congress . In addition to this, the congress adopted punitive measures against Great Britain for its Intolerable Acts and empowered local committees to govern

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4836-478: The political situation in the colony and meant to ensure greater direct control over the territory, the instructions caused tensions between the governor and the General Assembly. The assembly controlled the colony's finances and used this as leverage by withholding salaries and appropriations, sometimes forcing the governors to compromise and disregard some of the Board of Trade's instructions. Particularly after 1760,

4914-401: The power to levy taxes and adopts the state budget. The constitution enumerates a unique procedure for the passing of revenue legislation; all revenue bills must be read three times with each reading occurring on a different day, journal records of votes must include the name of each legislator and how they voted, and all revenue bills must appropriate money for a specific purpose. The assembly

4992-639: The public can attend and observe sessions. Administrative support of the General Assembly is overseen by the Legislative Services Commission, a panel comprising five members of each house. As of October 2023, the assembly relies on over 600 support staff who work in the Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building. Daily operations of the legislature's facilities are directed by

5070-463: The sites of ports and forts, regulated the militia, allotted land, and granted citizenship. Laws passed by the legislature held effect for 18 months and were sent to England for ratification by the lords. The lords could refuse to ratify laws and let them expire. From 1692 to 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina were organized as one Province of Carolina . The colony had one governor but North Carolina retained its own council and assembly. After 1731,

5148-456: The sole power to propose amendments to the state constitution. If a proposed amendment receives the support of three-fifths of the House and the Senate, it is scheduled for ratification by a statewide referendum. State constitutional amendments and state legislative votes on the ratification of federal constitutional amendments are not subject to gubernatorial veto. The General Assembly's sessions are convened according to standards prescribed by

5226-563: The state and a House of Commons with two members from each county and one from each of several specially-designated towns. Property requirements stipulated that House members had to own at least 100 acres and senators at least 300 to serve. The assembly was responsible for electing the governor, other executive officers, and all judges. The first North Carolina General Assembly was convened on April 7, 1777, in New Bern, North Carolina. It consisted of Senate with one member from each county and

5304-501: The state as royal control dissipated. A second congress in April 1775 adopted additional economic measures against Great Britain, leading Governor Martin to dissolve the colonial assembly before fleeing the colony. There would be five provincial congresses. The fifth Congress approved the first constitution in 1776. This constitution was not submitted to a vote of the people. The Congress simply adopted it and elected Richard Caswell ,

5382-472: The state constitution and state statute. The General Assembly meets in regular session—or the "long session"—beginning in January of each odd-numbered year, and adjourns to reconvene the following even-numbered year for what is called the "short session". Though there is no limit on the length of any session, the "long session" typically lasts for 6 months, and the "short session" typically lasts for 6 weeks. The legislature crafts its biennial state budget during

5460-457: The state's administrative bureaucracy. It can alter gubernatorial executive orders concerning the organization of state agencies by joint resolution. Its Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations has the authority to seize state agency documents and inspect facilities of agencies and contractors with the state. All legislative committees are empowered to subpoena the testimony of witnesses and documents. The constitution allows for

5538-506: The state's other civil leaders and institutions. During the Civil War the General Assembly continued to meet in regular biennial sessions, but also convened in seven extraordinary sessions to address wartime issues. In 1868, a new constitution was crafted by a convention and ratified by popular vote. The document provided for universal male suffrage and abolished all property requirements and religious tests for officeholders. It changed

5616-491: The vote. African Americans were closed out of politics in North Carolina for decades, with most not regaining the ability to vote until after passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , and federal overview and enforcement. Lillian Exum Clement became the first female member of the General Assembly when she joined the House of Representatives in 1921. Gertrude Dills McKee became the first woman to be elected to

5694-451: The words following that phrase being legally operative. The legally valid language of each passed bill is punctuated by the ratification certificate, consisting of the obligatory signatures of the presiding officers of each house. Most laws have an "effective date" which stipulate the time they go into effect. Those that do not have an explicit stipulation go into effect 60 days after the assembly's adjournment sine die . The assembly has

5772-412: The workload of the Supreme Court. The General Assembly made Supreme Court elections non-partisan starting with the 2004 elections , but later made them partisan again after the 2016 elections . Susie Sharp became the court's first female justice in 1962. She became its first female chief justice in 1974. Henry Frye became the first black justice in 1983. In 2011, the court had a female majority for

5850-537: Was amended to provide for the Supreme Court to comprise a chief justice and at most six associate justices. The following year, the General Assembly empowered the governor to appoint two additional associate justices, thus allowing the court to expand to seven justices. In September 1940, the court moved into the new Justice Building near the State Capitol. The North Carolina Court of Appeals was created as an intermediate appellate court in 1967 in part to help ease

5928-441: Was completed by early 1963. The General Assembly held its first session in the new North Carolina State Legislative Building on February 6. In 1968, the General Assembly, in tandem with national trends towards state legislative professionalization, hired its first legislative services officer. For hundreds of years North Carolina's legislative representation was apportioned such that each county had at least one representative in

6006-499: Was responsible for filling interim vacancies on the court pending the holding of the next state legislative election. During the Reconstruction era , the court's membership was dominated by Republicans , though as the era waned in the latter portion of the 19th century, conservative Democrats became a majority on the court. In 1876, the constitution was amended to shrink the court's membership to three justices. This burdened

6084-485: Was unconstitutional. In response, in 1901, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted to impeach Republican Chief Justice David M. Furches and Associate Justice Robert M. Douglas for issuing a supposedly unconstitutional mandamus directing the state treasurer to disburse money. The Senate failed to convict them with the two-thirds majority necessary to convict and remove them, leaving them to serve out their terms in office. In 1936, North Carolina's constitution

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