North Carolina Supreme Court rules gerrymandered congressional maps violate constitution

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled Friday that the new political maps drawn by Republicans last year violated the state's constitution.

The Supreme Court issued two days after the court heard televised arguments over whether the political maps gave an extreme advantage to Republican districts despite the close divide of North Carolina voters. The legislative maps gave Republicans as many as 11 safe districts compared to just three for Democrats.

The 4-3 decision from the Supreme Court was drawn along party lines with the three Republican justices dissenting on the argument that the court's decision placed the responsibility of redistricting on the judicial branch rather than state lawmakers.

"We conclude that the congressional and legislative maps ... are unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt under the free elections clause, the equal protection clause, the free speech clause, and the freedom of assembly clause of the North Carolina Constitution," the majority justices wrote.

The majority justices noted that the state's General Assembly "must not diminish or dilute any individual's vote on the basis of partisan politics."

"When a districting plan systematically makes it harder for one group of voters to elect a governing majority than another group of voters of equal size -- the General Assembly unconstitutionally infringes upon that voter's fundamental right to vote," the justices wrote.

The Supreme Court gave lawmakers until Feb. 18 to submit new redistricting plans so upcoming elections and primary elections can take place as scheduled.

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday that the Supreme Court "is right to order a redraw of unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts."

"More work remains and any legislative redraw must reflect the full intent of this decision," Cooper said.

The decision in North Carolina comes after the Supreme Court in Ohio ruled that the state's new congressional map improperly favors the Republican Party and ordered that the maps be redrawn.

In Alabama, a federal court found that the state's new congressional maps discriminated against Black voters and ordered that the maps be redrawn.