Ruling on gerrymandered legislative maps appealed to state Supreme Court

Last week, a three-judge panel struck down North Carolina’s gerrymandered congressional maps but approved the General Assembly’s redrawn legislative maps. However, the plaintiffs in the case have now appealed the panel’s ruling on the legislative maps to the state Supreme Court — so it remains to be seen whether we will have yet ANOTHER set of maps before the 2020 election.

• Common Cause contends that eight House districts — representing Columbus, Pender, Robeson, Forsyth and Yadkin counties — were once again gerrymandered for GOP gain by overemphasizing incumbency protection and recreating specific features of the prior unconstitutional districts.
• The court’s landmark ruling striking down partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina’s legislative districts was a historic win for our state, but the fight for constitutional maps isn’t over. These eight districts must be redrawn by a neutral referee so they are completely free from partisan gerrymandering.
• Every single map which Republicans have drawn since taking control of the General Assembly in 2010 has been tainted by either racial or partisan gerrymandering — and often both. There is no way the GOP majority can be trusted to draw fair maps now without strict public scrutiny.
• For years, North Carolina elections have been blatantly rigged through gerrymandering, to the detriment of communities across our state. North Carolina deserves a healthy democracy and a healthy environment for our families.

There is only one way to finally stop this never-ending cycle of GOP gerrymandering and court intervention — elect a legislative majority who will pass a nonpartisan redistricting law and take party politics out of the equation once and for all.