History in the Making

Yesterday, the North Carolina General Assembly met in special session to do something that the legislature had not done since 1880: expel a member.

Shortly before noon, according to The News & Observer, Rep. Thomas Wright, a Wilmington Democrat, was escorted from legislature after his colleagues decided by a vote of 109-5 to strip him of his seat.

The expulsion is the latest step in a long-running scandal involving Wright and his alleged improper use of $350,000 in campaign funds. The state Board of Elections already has ruled that Wright violated the state's campaign finance laws, and the former legislator soon will go on trial in Raleigh.

A detailed account of the expulsion vote is available from WUNC Radio, the NPR affiliate in Raleigh-Durham.