North Carolina's state Supreme Court handed Democrats one of their biggest legal victories yet in the fight over redistricting, striking down a GOP-drawn congressional map that could have given Republicans control of 11 of the state’s 14 districts.

In a ruling released Friday evening, the justices wrote that the current map was an illegal partisan gerrymander that is “unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt.” The state Supreme Court gave the state Legislature until Feb. 18 to submit a new redistricting proposal to the court — or a trial court will approve a new plan.

Democrats were anxiously awaiting this ruling after the state Supreme Court heard opening arguments on Wednesday. They have a narrow majority on the high court, but a more conservative lower court had initially let the Republican-drawn map stand.

The Republican-drawn map eliminated two current Democratic seats, transforming retiring Democratic Rep. G.K. Butterfield’s seat into a competitive district and gutting the seat held by Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning. Democrats currently hold five seats in the North Carolina delegation, their highest total in years, thanks to a 2020 state court decision that determined last decade’s map was also unfairly drawn to benefit Republicans.

North Carolina gained a seat in reapportionment. It has a Republican-controlled General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has no veto power over maps. Democrats have poured resources into state Supreme Court elections in recent years in the hopes of placing a check on Republicans’ total control of redistricting power in the state.

Source: Ally Mutnick/News.yahoo.com

Date Posted: Friday, February 4th, 2022 , Total Page Views: 472