Republican Robert Orr, a former N.C. Supreme Court justice, has publicly said what a lot of people have been thinking. The Republican-led legislature has gone too far.

In a recent guest column in The Charlotte Observer, Orr took issue with the conservative leadership’s heavy-handedness, such as stripping Attorney General Josh Stein’s budget and decreasing the Court of Appeals by three seats to block new appointments by Gov. Roy Cooper.

“Now, whether they’re cooking the books on redistricting or stripping the newly elected Democratic governor of appointments and powers, this group of Republicans doesn’t care what the opposition or anyone else thinks. It’s power politics — and if necessary, good government be damned.”