North Carolina – A three-judge federal appeals court panel ruled that 28 state legislative districts in North Carolina’s 2010 redistricting map were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders that diluted the votes of black and Hispanic voters. The state has appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the lower federal court has already given an order to the North Carolina legislature to start on and finalize a new map for special state elections later in 2017.
The Republican-dominated legislature would rather wait and see what the Supreme Court has to say, especially since a newly elected Democratic governor is waiting in the wings. This has prompted North Carolina to issue an emergency request to the Supreme Court to intervene, and stay the lower court order to proceed on a new map. Last week, Chief Justice Roberts requested the lower court to respond. That response is due Monday, Jan 9th. Read analysis by Election Law Blog.
