Our state spends way too much time in the Supreme Court. The justices have taken notice.
Put an end to partisan gerrymandering in NC
BY PHYLLIS H. DEMKO AND LARRY KING
JULY 27, 2017 11:30 AM
Our state spends way too much time in the Supreme Court. The justices have taken notice.
In Justice Kagan’s recent opinion deciding Cooper v. Harris, she noted that N.C.’s 12th Congressional District was “making its fifth appearance before this Court.”
In addition to Cooper v. Harris, which held Congressional Districts 1 and 12 are illegal gerrymanders, a June 5 Supreme Court decision, North Carolina v. Covington, determined that 28 N.C. House and Senate districts are unlawful gerrymanders. The state remains mired in similar litigation. Since the current cycle of redistricting began in 2011, eight lawsuits were filed with claims of gerrymandering. Another – Dickson v. Rucho – has engaged the justices twice. As one justice observed, “We have almost reached a new redistricting cycle without any certainty as to the constitutionality of North Carolina’s current redistricting map.”
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In North Carolina, we keep churning – partisan redistricting, then litigation, then court-ordered reforms and still more partisan redistricting. This takes a huge toll on the business of governing and produces enormous legal costs. One recent study for Common Cause North Caroline concludes that since 2011 the state has paid out $5 million for redistricting litigation. And this does not count in legal and other staff resources in the General Assembly and the Attorney General’s office. With other cases pending in the U.S. Supreme Court, and several awaiting trial, additional seven-figure costs are inevitable.
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article164127292.html#storylink=cpy
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