RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers will start redrawing new political maps quickly, possibly even this week. But at the same time, they’re contemplating appealing their loss in a nationally watched gerrymandering at the state Supreme Court to the only court that could overturn the ruling — the U.S. Supreme Court.
The state court’s order Friday that ruled North Carolina’s Republican-drawn maps unconstitutional gave few details on exactly what the justices wanted to see in any new maps. It also didn’t say when the justices would provide those details — even though the deadline for the new maps to be drawn and submitted for review is just two weeks away.
The court found that the maps were unconstitutional because of the way the lines minimized the influence of Democratic voters, notably by guaranteeing Republicans would likely still win large majorities even if most voters voted for Democrats. But as of Monday afternoon there was still no detailed opinion with guidance on how better maps should be drawn.
