NCLBC Chair to GOP: 'Reconsider Beatty Appointment'

By CASH MICHAELS

State Sen. Erica Smith (D-Bertie), chair of the NC Legislative Black Caucus, has now weighed in, on behalf of the NCLBC, on the growing controversy over the Republican-led legislative majority rejecting Gov. Roy Cooper’s nomination of former Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety Bryan Beatty, an African-American, for a special superior court seat on June 29th as the short session was ending.

“Secretary Beatty has an outstanding background of service to our statesmen.” Sen. Smith said in a statement Monday. “It is appalling that the GOP supermajority refused to appoint him as a special superior court judge without any explanation. This is not only an attack against Governor Cooper but all of us.”

“Secretary Beatty was voted out with no explanation whatsoever. The North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus fully supports Secretary Beatty and calls for the GOP to reconsider this appoint,” the NCLBC chairwoman continued.

Beatty was also a former director of the State Bureau of Investigation, and a graduate of UNC – Chapel Hill Law School.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, one of three state legislative committees Sec. Beatty appeared before and cleared in consideration for the judicial seat, is co-chaired by three Republicans – Sen. Tamara Barringer (Wake); Sen. Warren Daniel (Burke); and Sen. Shirley B. Randleman (Stokes).

There are 21 members in all on that panel – 6 Democrats including Sen. Paul Lowe (Forsyth), Majority Leader Dan Blue (Wake), Sen. Floyd McKissick, Jr.(Durham), Sen. Terry Van Duyn (Buncombe), Sen. Jeff Jackson (Mecklenburg) and retired Superior Court Judge Milton “Toby” Fitch, Jr. (Wilson); and 12 other Republicans.

In an interview this week, Sen. Lowe maintains that no one on the committee said anything negative about Secretary Beatty’s nomination after he was questioned, and it passed unanimously.

“[The committee passed his nomination] with flying colors,” Sen. Lowe recalls. “Everyone thank him for his service…the whole bit.”

In fact, Lowe recalls, while the white male judicial nominee from Lumberton also passed committee muster “with flying colors,” the white female judicial nominee didn’t attend that committee meeting at all.

But when it reached the joint session of the legislature on June 29th, the Republican majority in both the Senate and House voted Beatty’s nomination down without explanation.

“It was extremely disappointing ….the way [Republicans] addressed it in the joint session, was to not address it all,” Lowe opined.

The Forsyth County Democrat said the main reason clearly was because Beatty was one of Gov. Cooper’s judicial nominees. But the GOP lawmakers did ratify Cooper’s other two judicial nominees for special superior court seats – a white male and white female.

So why was Beatty – the only African-American of the three – turned down? No Republican has given a reason why on the record, but Sen. Lowe says, “ I think that was part of a plan for fear that, you know, somebody might pull a race card out…”

Lowe maintains that last part is speculation on his part, but still, to many, what Republicans did, and how they did it, speaks yarns.

NCNAACP Pres. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman called the GOP rejection of Sec. Beatty “…quite blatant.” Ford Porter, Gov. Cooper’s spokesperson, blasted legislative Republicans for “…working to inject partisan politics into our courts…,” especially after the GOP also circulated a flier with the pictures of twelve judges and justices – three of them black – and all appointed by Democratic governors, titled, “WHEN GOVERNORS IGNORE THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.”

Speaking on behalf of the NCLBC, Chairwoman Sen. Erica Smith maintained, “Our courts must represent North Carolina.”