The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for May 1, 2023
Today’s Script: (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
We’ve been following the scary Moore v. Harper and Harper v. Hall gerrymandering cases out of North Carolina for months now. A decision Friday in the Hall case likely greenlighted MORE rigged voting districts.
Just last year, a North Carolina Supreme Court with a different political makeup struck down the legislature’s Congressional, state house and state senate maps as violating the state constitution. In the midterms, conservative-leaning justices won back control of the court, and in a highly-irregular and partisan action, the new court agreed to rehear the Hall case at the request of GOP state leaders.
In its new decision Friday, the court ruled that the previous court’s interpretation has moved to, QUOTE, “… one where the majority of justices insert their own opinions and effectively rewrite the constitution,” UNQUOTE It reversed the 2022 decisions, giving the legislature full authority to redraw the maps as they see fit, expected this summer.
The decision leaves North Carolinians with no protections from partisan manipulation of their voting maps. With the court’s ceding power to a legislature with a veto-proof majority, the gerrymanders are likely to get worse.
Justice Anita Earls said in her dissent that the majority, QUOTE, “…Tells North Carolinians that the state constitution and the courts cannot protect their basic human right to self-governance and self-determination.”
More tomorrow on its impact on the Moore v. Harper case. We have articles and links to the decision at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Articles & Resources:
Democracy Docket – (Background) North Carolina Congressional Redistricting Challenge (SCOTUS)
Democracy Docket – North Carolina Supreme Court GOP Majority Permits Partisan Gerrymandering and Reverses Prior Decisions in Redistricting Lawsuit
Jurist – North Carolina Supreme Court holds that it had no authority to strike down redistricting maps last year
Politico – North Carolina Supreme Court clears way for partisan gerrymandering
NPR – A North Carolina court overrules itself in a case tied to a disputed election theory
Princeton Gerrymandering Project – SCORED MAPS FROM THE REDISTRICTING REPORT CARD
Supreme Court of North Carolina (via Democracy Docket) – Opinion in Harper v. Hall
Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause NC, NC League of Conservation Voters, Democracy North Carolina, NC Black Alliance, League of Women Voters NC
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