Analysis: N.C. State Lawmaker Facing Potential Expulsion from General Assembly after Being Charged with Engaging in Sex Acts with a Minor

By William Hinson, Editor

Oct. 20, 2025

A Democratic member of the N.C. House of Representatives is facing calls to either resign or be expelled from the N.C. General Assembly after he was arrested in connection with the alleged rape and sexual abuse of a 15-year-old child.

What is the Background?

N.C. State Rep. Cecil Brockman (D–Guilford), age 41, was arrested by the State Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and charged with two counts of statutory rape of a child and two further counts of indecent liberties with a child.

Guilford County prosecutors said that Brockman met the alleged victim on a dating app in Atlanta, Ga., in May, and the two had lived together in an apartment near Atlanta for several months before moving in August to an apartment in High Point, N.C.

Brockman was apparently arrested after he called 911 to help him locate the child, whom he described to the dispatcher as a friend. He was reportedly tracking the victim’s phone using Life360, a location sharing and tracking app. Authorities recovered the minor’s cell phone, which contained several videos, showing “certain acts,” which led to charges being filed against the state lawmaker. Prosecutors also allege that Brockman attempted to contact the victim, who was taken to a local hospital for reasons that have not been disclosed, and that he attempted to “use his status to gain information on the whereabouts of the victim.”

Brockman made his first court appearance virtually from his own hospital room on Friday, Oct. 10. During his hearing, Judge Gordon Miller set his bond at $1,050,000 and informed him that the maximum sentence he faced was life in prison without the possibility of parole. Judge Miller also instructed that even if Brockman posted bond, he would be forbidden from contacting the alleged victim. During his hearing, Brockman was represented by Greensboro attorney Alec Carpenter, who reportedly took the case after having spoken with several members of Brockman’s family.

Authorities did not disclose why Brockman was hospitalized; however, on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Guilford County Sheriff's Office stated that he had been moved to the Guilford County Jail in High Point, where he remained as of Sunday, Oct. 19. His next court date is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13.

Who is Cecil Brockman, Who Does He Represent, and What is He Saying About the Charges?

State Representative Cecil Antonio Brockman is currently serving his sixth term in the N.C. House of Representatives, having represented the state’s 60th House District since 2015. The district is in southwestern Guilford County and includes all of Jamestown and Pleasant Garden, as well as portions of Greensboro and High Point.

N.C. House District 60 is among the bluest districts in the state, with Kamala Harris having carried the district over Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election by 24 percentage points. Voters in District 60 simultaneously voted to re-elect Rep. Brockman by a wide margin in 2024, with the incumbent Democrat defeating his Republican challenger Joseph Perrotta by over 26 points.

According to his campaign website, Brockman is a “proud native” of High Point, N.C., and grew up raised by his mother in a single-parent household. He attended and graduated from Ragsdale High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Following his graduation from UNC Charlotte, he worked on the campaigns of several prominent North Carolina Democrats -- including N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, N.C. State Sen. Doug Berger, and N.C. State Rep. Marcus Brandon -- before he was elected to the N.C. House of Representatives in 2014. Brockman is also openly bisexual, having come out in 2016, and is one of four openly serving LGBTQ+ members of the N.C. General Assembly, along with State Representatives Deb Butler (D–New Hanover), Allison Dahle (D–Wake), and Marcia Morey (D–Durham).

Brockman has generally been regarded as a moderate Democrat, and during his tenure, he has at times caused frustration for N.C. House Democrats by failing to show up to vote on key pieces of legislation and occasionally voting with Republicans. He recently voted to override N.C. Gov. Stein’s veto of Senate Bill 254, which Stein had criticized for weakening the oversight of charter schools. Brockman was also among a small band of N.C. House Democrats who voted with Republicans on several pro-business votes in 2023. These votes irked progressive Democrats in the state, who endorsed a primary challenge to him in 2024 that he managed to narrowly turn away by a margin of just 85 votes.

So far, Brockman has declined to publicly comment on the charges against him. Furthermore, Drew Gibson, a legislative assistant for the state lawmaker, told reporters that the N.C. Democratic lawmaker has no comment on the charges or the calls he is facing to resign from office.

Who Has Called for Brockman to Resign and What Would it Take to Remove Him from Office?

Since his arrest, State Rep. Brockman has faced bipartisan calls for his resignation, including class from influential figures within his own party. N.C. Gov. Josh Stein (D), told WRAL News in a statement that the charges against Brockman are “extremely serious and deeply troubling.” He added, “While the legal process has yet to play out, it’s clear he cannot effectively serve his constituents and should resign immediately.”

N.C. House Minority Leader Robert Reives (D–Chatham) said in a statement on Oct. 9, “As we continue to learn more about the allegations against Rep. Brockman this morning, it has become clear that he is unable to continue serving in the House of Representatives. Rep. Brockman must resign immediately.”

N.C. Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton has called on N.C. House Speaker Destin Hall (R–Caldwell) to begin the process of expelling Rep. Brockman from the House of Representatives. Clayton cited the importance for the constituents of District 60 to have adequate representation in Raleigh as the primary reason for why the N.C. House should move to quickly remove him from office, saying, “Destin Hall should bring folks back to Raleigh and they should remove [Brockman] from the legislature.” Clayton added that “we should make sure that places like High Point have representation right now in Raleigh.”

Clayton said she had not heard from Brockman while simultaneously reiterating her calls for him to resign, saying, “You can’t exactly help people from a jail cell.”

Speaker Hall did issue a statement in which he called for Brockman to resign, stating, “Given the evidence that’s publicly known, he should resign immediately so these charges do not distract from the work of the North Carolina House.” Hall’s office additionally told reporters for WRAL that the N.C. House Speaker would be willing to hold a vote on expulsion if Rep. Brockman does not promptly resign from office. N.C. lawmakers are expected to return to Raleigh next week in order to begin the process of redrawing the state’s congressional district maps.

Local party officials are also weighing in on the matter as well. Last week, Guilford County Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathy Kirkpatrick issued a statement on Brockman’s arrest and political future, stating, “We believe that all public officials must be held to the highest ethical standards. At this time, we are monitoring the situation closely as information continues to emerge. If credible evidence substantiates the allegations against Representative Brockman, I believe he should do the right thing and resign from his position.”

Then there is the matter of how an expulsion vote would even proceed in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Minority Leader Reives has stated that any expulsion procedure would have to be initiated by Speaker Hall. If Hall opts to begin expulsion proceedings, they would begin by having the allegations against Brockman be investigated by the Legislative Ethics Committee, whose members would determine whether or not Brockman violated the law while he was in office and decide whether or not to recommend an expulsion vote to the full House of Representatives.

If an expulsion vote is brought to the floor of the N.C. House, it would require two-thirds of the body to vote in favor of expelling Brockman. There are 120 seats in the N.C. House of Representatives and, of those seats, 71 are currently held by Republicans and 49 are presently occupied by the Democrats. This would mean that only nine Democratic representatives would need to join with all Republicans (assuming all Republicans vote in favor of expulsion) in voting to expel Brockman for him to be removed from office.

Has the N.C. General Assembly Ever Expelled a Member and What Would Happen if Brockman Were to Resign or be Expelled?

There has only been one instance since 1880 in which a member of the N.C. House of Representatives was removed from office via an expulsion vote. That occurred in 2008, when members voted 109–5 to remove State Rep. Thomas Wright (D–New Hanover) from office after he was charged with using campaign funds for personal expenses and abusing his political power to get approved for a loan.

If Brockman were to resign from office or be forced out via an expulsion vote, N.C. state law requires that Gov. Stein appoint a replacement who is endorsed by members of the Guilford County Democratic Party.

The matter of who could potentially succeed Brockman in the N.C. House is a more complicated one, as there are several names that have already been floated as potential successors to Brockman, should he leave office. So far, Amanda Cook, who currently holds an at-large seat on the High Point City Council, has declared a candidacy for Brockman’s seat, although it should be noted she announced her campaign for his seat months before he was arrested.

Former Guilford County Commissioner and ex-congressional/Greensboro mayoral candidate Bruce Davis is also running for the Brockman’s seat, having announced his candidacy following the news of Brockman’s arrest. He reportedly decided to throw his hat into the ring after receiving several phone calls from individuals encouraging him to run. He has indicated that if he were elected, he would have a more consistently liberal voting record than Brockman.

One prominent local Democrat who has announced that they will not be running for Brockman’s seat is James Adams, the aforementioned progressive primary challenger to Rep. Brockman in 2024 who lost by a margin of 85 votes. Adams said of Brockman’s arrest, “The situation has been a complete surprise.”