RALEIGH, N.C. — The United States government is so opposed to a theory North Carolina lawmakers plan to argue in front of the Supreme Court that it now wants to be included in oral arguments.
In briefs filed Wednesday, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar asked to be allowed to participate in the case and said that if the court sides with North Carolina’s argument, it “would severely disrupt the administration of elections around the nation, forcing states to hold state and federal elections under different rules and flooding the federal courts— especially this Court — with new election challenges.”
There’s no guarantee the Supreme Court will allow the Department of Justice to join oral arguments, scheduled for Dec. 7, but it is usually allowed. Either way, having the federal government officially back the group of local voters and nonprofits who are fighting the legislature makes a statement, said their lead attorney, Durham’s Allison Riggs.
