North Carolina Supreme Court Reverses Voting Rights Decisions, Reinstates Voter ID and GOP-Favored Maps
In North Carolina, the state Supreme Court, now with a Republican majority, has reversed previous rulings that had struck down a voter ID bill as racially discriminatory and blocked a congressional gerrymander favoring the GOP. In December 2022, the court, then with a Democratic majority, had delivered these wins for voting rights advocates. However, after two newly elected Republican justices were sworn in, shifting the court to a 5-2 GOP majority, these cases were ordered to be reheard. Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat, issued a strong dissent, calling the move a 'radical break with 205 years of history' and criticizing the disregard for precedent based on a change in court composition. The new rulings mean North Carolina will proceed with strict voter ID requirements and electoral maps that significantly favor Republicans, despite the state's nearly even political divide. The prior court-drawn congressional map resulted in a 7-7 split, while the new GOP-favored map led to Republicans winning 10 out of 14...
