The
Council of State is a group of popularly elected
executive offices in North Carolina
. It is separate from the
North Carolina Cabinet, which is
appointed by the
Governor of
North Carolina, and makes up the rest of the executive
leadership of the government. However, Council of State members are
often colloquially and erroneously called 'Cabinet members'.
North Carolina retains a Jacksonian-era system of divided
executive power. In addition to the
Governor, the nine Council of State
members are elected statewide by the voters. The term "Council of
State" harks back to the colonial-era Governor's Council, which was
essentially the upper house of the legislature, and then to a
Council of State in the early years of statehood, which was
appointed by the legislature and which curtailed the governor's
power.
Today, the Council of State meets periodically, with the
Governor as chair, to allow for
coordination and exchange of information across executive branch
agencies and to vote on certain decisions, especially regarding the
sale of state property or borrowing money. In 2007, a state judge
referred to an
old state law that requires the Council to
approve changes to
capital
punishment procedures.
Current members
References
See also
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