Raleigh, NC — On Thursday, North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley issued a strong rebuke of a recent court ruling in Stein v. Hall, Berger, & Boliek, calling the decision an “abysmal” interpretation of constitutional law that threatens the independence of the state’s elected executive officers.
In a statement released Wednesday, Farley criticized the ruling for granting what he called “exclusive control over the executive branch” to the Governor, at the expense of other Council of State members — a group that includes the State Auditor, Commissioner of Labor, and other independently elected officials.
“The people of North Carolina did not elect a king,” Farley stated. “They elected a Governor — and they also elected an independent State Auditor, an independent Commissioner of Labor, and other executive officers, each with their own constitutional executive authority and accountability directly to the people.”
Farley, who practiced law for 14 years before being elected Labor Commissioner by nearly 3 million voters, argued that the ruling undermines the state constitution’s framework for balancing executive power among multiple elected officials. He warned that the court’s decision sets a “dangerous precedent” by concentrating power in a single office, contrary to the framers’ intent.
“Our state constitution entrusts real responsibilities to independently elected executives like me — and it does not allow those powers to be stripped by judicial fiat,” Farley said. “This decision is wrong and should be reversed.”
Farley concluded by vowing to continue defending the independence of North Carolina’s executive officers and resisting what he described as an “unprecedented consolidation of power.”
For more information, media may contact:
- Andy Lancaster: 919-707-7704
- John Waugh: 919-707-7709
- John Mallow: 919-707-7721
