The NewsObserver reports on the Democrats appeal to the state Supreme Court as they desperately try to stop North Carolina Republicans from cementing the gains made from the last 2 years. If the redistricting plans are left unchanged, the current balance of power may remain in place for decades.
On Monday, state Supreme Court justices are scheduled to hear arguments in Raleigh about the legislative and congressional districts adopted by the Republican legislature two years ago. The districts are intended to be used through the 2020 elections.At issue is a unanimous ruling in July by a three-member panel of N.C. Superior Court judges. The panel validated the districts, rejecting an argument by Democratic voters and civil rights organizations that some of the districts were racially gerrymandered to weaken the influence of black voters. In their appeal of that decision, the NAACP, Democrats and voter-rights organizations have raised questions about the panel’s interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and the North Carolina Constitution.…Though the new maps were immediately challenged after they were drawn in 2011, the districts were used in the 2012 elections and have been shown to favor Republicans.The GOP expanded its majority in the state legislature in the 2012 elections. In the House, Republicans picked up nine seats and now dominate Democrats 77-43. The Senate added two Republican members, and the GOP holds a 33-17 advantage.Republicans also were successful in expanding their majority at the congressional level, taking nine of the state’s 13 U.S. House seats while winning 51 percent of the congressional vote.Republican leaders contend they followed the law when developing the new districts, and they cite sections of the three-judge panel’s ruling to underscore their contentions.