Defendants in Common Cause v. Lewis spurned plaintiffs’ objections to their new 2020 House election maps, claiming the objections “appear to be the product of the partisan goals of the North Carolina Democratic Party.” Plaintiffs last week accused House Republicans of…
The redistricting court in Common Cause v. Lewis issued several strict guidelines last month to the General Assembly on how to draft its new 2020 election maps. But will the court’s appointed referee have to follow the same rules? The answer is…
North Carolina’s 2020 election maps created by House members may not stand up to court scrutiny. That’s what plaintiffs in Common Cause v. Lewis argue in a brief they filed Friday, Sept. 27, in Superior Court. Plaintiffs found partisan bias in…
Go ahead and try to “Sue ‘til you’re blue.” That’s what leading Republicans said to the Democrats going to court over partisan gerrymanders in North Carolina’s 13 congressional districts. Harper v. Lewis was filed Friday, Sept. 27, in state court…
The General Assembly’s new election maps, as they are now, would largely even the playing field for 2020, experts say. Both chambers passed the others’ maps Tuesday, Sept. 17. Redistricting analysts have since evaluated the maps through a relatively new technology, Planscore, which attempts to measure…
With a fast-approaching deadline, the Senate passed its 2020 legislative district map with bipartisan approval, voting 38-9. During floor discussion Monday, Sept. 16, some Democratic lawmakers rehashed concerns brought up earlier in committee. Some said that unpairing incumbents — that is, drawing…
One down. One to go. The House passed a new district map, and it’s on its way to the Senate. It was a grueling week. After a three-judge Superior Court panel handed down its ruling last week in Common Cause v. Lewis,…
It’s time for a break from “summer camp.” Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, acknowledged as much Wednesday, Sept. 11, saying the level of trust between N.C. Republicans and Democrats is as “brittle” as he has ever seen. That’s going to have important implications for redistricting…
North Carolina’s voter map drama turned more theatrical, as state senators literally rolled out a lottery machine to randomly select their starter map. It was one of several bizarre events during the second day of House and Senate redistricting committee meetings Tuesday, Sept. 10. Members disrupted…
North Carolina lawmakers have just nine days to draw new voter district maps. They’re off to a rough start. A three-judge panel on Sept. 3 told Republican lawmakers to throw out their state legislative maps — which were subject to “extreme…
