Tim Moore appoints disciplined lawyer onto the very commission that sanctioned the lawyer months ago

The appointment of Kenneth Robert Davis to the Disciplinary Hearing Commission of the State Bar is prompting concerns.

North Carolina Republican House Speaker Tim Moore present an anti-rioting bill during a committee hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.

When North Carolina lawmakers placed dozens of donors, allies and personal friends onto important state boards and commissions last week, one selection proved most interesting.

House Speaker Tim Moore placed Kenneth Robert Davis onto the Disciplinary Hearing Commission of the State Bar. The issue: Davis was sanctioned by the same commission just months earlier.

In partnership with The Assembly, a story has just run highlighting the dynamics at play.

This photo posted to Facebook includes attorney Rob Davis (left, bright green shirt) and House Speaker Tim Moore (middle, blue shirt) with local officials.

Davis and Moore have known each other for three decades. The two attended Oklahoma City University School of Law together and both graduated in 1995, according to the university. A social media post also shows Moore and Davis visiting a water plant together in Lumberton in October 2016, where Davis’s father, Bruce, has served as mayor since earlier that year.