North Carolina legislators are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a legal theory that could have massive implications for elections around the country — and that several justices have already said they’re open to.
It’s related to the gerrymandering case the legislature recently lost when the court denied an appeal from GOP leaders. But even though the legislature lost that fight, The News & Observer reported last week, there is a good chance the court will take up the new appeal that has now been filed.
In February the N.C. Supreme Court, which has a Democratic majority, ruled along party lines that Republican lawmakers had unconstitutionally gerrymandered the state’s 14 U.S. House of Representatives districts. Republican leaders appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a majority of Republican-appointed justices, asking them to throw out the state court ruling in time for the 2022 midterms this year.
