NC Supreme Court Okays Partisan Gerrymandering

Politico reports:

The North Carolina Supreme Court has overturned its own past ruling that said partisan gerrymandering is illegal, clearing the way for Republicans there to redraw the state’s congressional lines in a way that heavily favors the GOP.

The ruling clears the way for North Carolina legislators to aggressively gerrymander the congressional map, which is currently represented by seven Democrats and seven Republicans. Now Republicans in Raleigh could re-create the map they initially passed last cycle which a Democratic-controlled state Supreme Court struck down, netting as many as four seats.

The court issued a 5-2 decision, with the court’s Republican justices voting to overturn the past ruling and the two Democratic justices dissenting. The court flipped from 4-3 Democratic control to 5-2 Republican control during elections last November.

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Another dangerous development for our democracy: the far right is hijacking our court systems to jettison established legal principles and precedents for partisan advantage. We need our courts to apply the law, not impose their political preferences. https://t.co/cAfrSaK98M

— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 28, 2023