RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina trial judges have dismissed a lawsuit challenging redrawn legislative and congressional district lines on the argument that they run afoul of an indirect constitutional right to “fair elections.” The judges said a recent affirmation still applies — that redistricting policy decisions are left to the General Assembly, not the courts. In a 2023 ruling by the state Supreme Court, the GOP majority said the judiciary lacked authority to declare redistricting maps as illegal partisan gerrymanders. They also said that redistricting was a political matter the judicial branch must stay out of, save for challenges on specific limitations. The “fair elections” lawsuit focuses on a handful of districts. Chief Justice Paul Newby, a Republican who wrote the prevailing opinion in the 2023 redistricting ruling, chooses three-judge panels to hear such cases.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 29, 2024 10:04 UTC