The North Carolina Supreme Court is now Republican-led and if the case of the redistricting map that the court rejected when Democrats were in control. The court voted 5-2 to rehear the case, which, if approved, would kick 4 Democrats out of the office and they would be replaced by Republicans, adding to their lead in the House. And judging by the 5-2 vote to rehear the case, it would seem to me to be a victory for GOP in North Carolina.
The new Republican majority on North Carolina’s Supreme Court agreed on Friday to rehear redistricting and voter identification cases less than two months after the court’s previous edition, led by Democrats, issued major opinions going against GOP legislators who had been sued.
The extraordinary decisions, granted in orders backed by five justices with the Republican voter registrations on the seven-member court, mean the issues will return to the court for oral arguments in mid-March. With hopes of getting new legal results, lawmakers led by House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger asked two weeks ago that the justices rehear the litigation.
The GOP lawmakers’ attorneys contend the previous 4-3 Democratic majority got it wrong in December when they struck down a state Senate map the legislature drew and upheld congressional boundaries drawn by trial judges but opposed by Republicans. They said those same Democrats erred when upholding the invalidation of a 2018 law requiring photo identification to vote when they applied the wrong legal standard.
The rehearings ultimately could lead to new opinions that reinstate the photo ID mandate and strike down precedent from the Supreme Court in February 2022 declaring the state constitution outlawed extensive partisan gerrymandering. That landmark redistricting ruling prevented maps drawn by Republican legislators that were expected to secure long-term Republican advantages in the General Assembly and within the state’s congressional delegation.
All should applaud this first move by the NC Supreme Court to restore the rule of law under the NC Constitution to the state by allowing a rehearing where the corrupt 4 judge Democrat majority made clear error in their ruling. #ncpol #restoretheruleoflaw https://t.co/9hYy5jQVNb
— Lawrence Shaheen Jr. (@LawrenceShaheen) February 4, 2023
elections have consequences pic.twitter.com/v4R77CtOYg
— Justin (@JustR_02) February 4, 2023
This is huge because in the 2022 election, there were seven Democrats and seven Republicans elected to the House. A victory, in this case, would result in an 11-to-3 split. If the map is approved the US House of Representatives would result in a lead in the House would become 226 Republicans and 209 Democrats. This is huge. They will also rule on whether signatures should be matched before the vote is counted.
I firmly believe that the court will rule on the case and will shake up the election results in those four races.
The North Carolina Supreme Court voted 5-2 to rehear redistricting and voter ID cases that the previously Democrat-dominated court decided.
This comes after Republicans got a majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court in January.
The rehearing might allow for the voter ID mandate to be reinstated as well as Republican-drawn maps that were shut down by the prior ruling.
In the Congress elected in 2020, there were 5 Democrats and 8 Republicans elected from North Carolina.
In the Congress elected in 2022, there were 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans elected from North Carolina (North Carolina gained a seat after 2020 census).
No court date has been announced, but I would assume it will be soon in order to flip seats if the redistricting maps are approved.
