The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision regarding election matters on Tuesday, siding with a North Carolina court that struck down a congressional districting plan, saying it violated state law.
The case, Moore vs. Harper, was brought after an updated Census in 2020 gave North Carolina an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Census also allowed the Republican-controlled state legislature a chance to redraw its election map. Multiple lawsuits contended the new map was gerrymandered to benefit the Republican Party.
The decision by the high court gives state courts the power to check state legislatures when dealing with federal elections, within limits.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court that “state courts retain the authority to apply state constitutional restraints when legislatures act under the power conferred upon them by the Elections Clause. But federal courts must not abandon their own duty to exercise judicial review.”
It turns out the court’s ruling will have minimal effect in North Carolina because the state Supreme Court has actually undone its earlier redistricting ruling under new state justices.
For many decades, political parties have used their authority in state legislatures to redraw state election maps to better represent new Census data and the voter trends that put them in power. That has often led to accusations of gerrymandering.
COVERAGE FROM 2020 The Race Is On: GOP Poised for Gains in Congress After 2020 Census – Here’s How It Plays Out
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