The North Carolina Supreme Court has just issued a bombshell ruling that will allow Republicans in the state to redraw their congressional maps which could net as many as four more Republican seats in Washington DC.
The new ruling from the majority Republican court overturns a ruling by the prior court that blocked a new state congressional map drawn by Republicans:
BREAKING: In a 5-2 ruling, the North Carolina Supreme Court has struck down its prior ruling that gerrymandering violates the state constitution.#ncleg will be permitted to redraw both legislative and congressional maps.
— Elections Daily (@Elections_Daily) April 28, 2023
Here’s more on the ruling via the Washington Times:
The North Carolina Supreme Court overruled a prior decision Friday that had implemented a court-drawn congressional map over one designed by Republican lawmakers.
The previous ruling reasoned that the GOP lawmakers had gerrymandered their map.
However, after Republicans took control of the state’s highest court, the new GOP-majority bench reheard the dispute in a rare move. Then it issued a decision saying courts should stay out of the political process.
“The courts are not designed to be thrust into the midst of various political disputes. Such engagement in policy issues forces courts to take sides in political battles and undermines public trust and confidence in the judiciary. Choosing political winners and losers creates a perception that courts are another political branch,” wrote North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby.
“We are designed to be a government of the people, not of the judges. At its heart, this case is about recognizing the proper limits of judicial power,” he added.
The new Republican high court didn’t just stop there. They also issued a separate ruling overturning another ruling by the prior court which blocked the 2018 Voter ID law:
Additionally, the court has reinstated a 2018 voter ID law and reinstated a law banning felons from voting.
— Elections Daily (@Elections_Daily) April 28, 2023
Here’s more from Elections Daily:
In another ruling, the North Carolina Supreme Court voted 5-2 to overturn a previous ruling striking down a 2018 voter ID law. The 2018 law established a requirement for voters to show ID. Compared to previous attempts, the law “expanded the number of qualifying IDs” and allowed those without IDs to cast provisional ballots. However, the law had been struck down as racially discriminatory – a decision the new court rejects. Additionally, the North Carolina Supreme Court voted 5-2 to strike down a previous court ruling that repealed a state ban on felon voting. This will impact around 56,000 voters.
As a friend of mine in the state told me, “that’s a good day.”
This is what happens when Republicans win big in the state. And let me remind you that Republicans now have super majorities in both the state house and senate. They should have no trouble rewriting their congressional districts.