Attorney General Jeff Jackson speaks at a podium outside the State Capitol building.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson said he joined a legal challenge to the federal funding freeze out of concern for “widespread and immediate damage” to North Carolinians. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar)

After having successfully gerrymandered their way to complete control of the state legislature over the last 15 years, you’d think North Carolina Republican lawmakers would be sure enough of themselves to at least occasionally countenance other voices.

Unfortunately, you’d be wrong.

The latest ridiculous example: a bill introduced last week that would effectively prevent the state’s attorney general from doing their job — serving as North Carolina’s top lawyer.

Under the legislation — which is aimed at current AG Jeff Jackson for daring to question some of President Trump’s recent unconstitutional edicts — attorneys general would be barred forever from making an argument in any lawsuit that challenges a presidential executive order or any act of the legislature.

Think they’d push such a bill if the attorney general was a Republican?

The bottom line: The attorney general is elected by all the people of the state and sworn to enforce the constitution to the best of their ability. By attempting to silence and micromanage this important constitutional officer, lawmakers have set a new low for partisan and power-hungry vindictiveness.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.