By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Can 6-term Democratic state Rep. Cecil Brockman receive due process, or the right to defend himself, against serious charges that he sexually consorted with a teenage minor before he is expelled from the N.C. House?
That is the pressing question on the table as Brockman, 41, remains in a Guilford County jail awaiting a Nov. 13th court date. Every Democratic leader, from Gov. Josh Stein to NC Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton, and now, Kathy Kirkpatrick, chair of the Guilford County Democratic Party, has made clear they want to see Brockman removed from office sooner than later so that the party can salvage his Guilford County seat for the rest of hs term.
Guilford County Democrats would choose a replacement, and Gov Stein, as required by law, would sign off on the choice.
But before any of that can happen, Rep. Brockman would have to be formally removed from office by the Republican-led state House.
After the House wrapped up passage of a new congressional district map last week, and announced that it has concluded all business for the remainder of 2025, Speaker Destin Hall announced that a bipartisan House committee would be formed to review the criminal case against Rep. Brockman, as well as the statutory procedures involved in legally removing him from office.
It’s during that process that the question of Brockman’s right of due process, or right to be heard on the charges he’s being accused of, come front in center.
Unlike the last time a House member was expelled from state House membership, namely New Hanover County Democrat Thomas Wright in March 2008 for illegal use of campaign funds, Rep. Brockman is still behind bars even though a district court judge set his bail at $1.05 million.
If Brockman is still behind bars unable to reach bail before his Nov. 13th court hearing, then how can he participate in his own defense before a House committee judging his future as a state lawmaker? Can he appear via wifi, as he did from a hospital room for his first court appearance?
That is one of the pressing questions facing any moves House Speaker Destin Hall makes in ensuring that Rep. Brockman’s right to due process is upheld. And that has to be worked out before the state House formally returns to work in regular session, or in special session.
For his part, Brockman has not said a word in his defense since his arrest several weeks ago, nor has his attorney, nor any of his legislative staff.
Brockman is charged with two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor below the age of 16, and two counts of statutory rape.
According to investigators, Brockman allegedly met a teenager on a dating app in May when the minor was just 14, and traveled to live with the minor in Atlanta the following month. They allegedly stayed together through August, when they moved back to High Point to live in an apartment.
It was Oct. 5th that Brockman reportedly called 911, claiming that the minor was missing, and he needed to find him. The case got passed up to the State Bureau of Investigation, which found the teenager, and examined the minor’s cellphone video of a reported 14 alleged sexual encounters with Brockman.
That is the evidence that is purportedly being used against the High Point Democrat as his case heads towards state House removal and criminal trial.
