A lawsuit has been filed by advocacy groups arguing that North Carolina’s 2016 congressional redistricting plan violates the First and Fourteenth Amendment of US Constitution.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the Campaign Legal Center announced the lawsuit on Thursday on behalf of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina.

The lawsuit, League of Women Voters of North Carolina v. Rucho, was filed in the US District Court for North Carolina’s Middle District, according to a release.

The lawsuit comes after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that North Carolina’s congressional districts were unconstitutional. The maps that were ruled on were drawn by the Republican-led General Assembly following the 2011 census and have been winding through the court system since.

A special primary was held in June for congressional races in the Tar Heel state after a federal court ordered the legislature to redraw the districts because of racial gerrymandering used when drawing the maps. Legislative leaders made clear when announcing the new congressional districts that the new map was drawn with intent to keep the GOP’s 10-3 majority from North Carolina in the US House of Representatives.

While the lawsuit focuses on congressional districts, the federal court also ruled the legislative districts were unconstitutional but allowed the districts to be used this November. The court said it was too close to the election for new districts to be drawn, approved and a new primary to be held.

Southern Coalition for Social Justice executive director Anita Earls issued the following statement regarding Thursday’s lawsuit.

“The Constitution guarantees everyone’s right to participate equally in an electoral system that does not discriminate against them because of their beliefs. It’s clear that the intent and effect of creating North Carolina’s 2016 congressional maps were to manipulate the democratic process. The result disparages voters and ensures that one party can maintain political power even when a majority of the state’s voters do not support them.”

Campaign Legal Center executive director Gerry Hebert also issued a statement.

“When it comes to congressional districts, North Carolina’s are an extreme and egregious partisan gerrymander. Packing and cracking voters in districts based on their political ideology and voting history classifies voters in an invidious manner unrelated to any legitimate legislative objective. Radical partisan gerrymandering like that in this case turns democracy on its head. For the sake of North Carolina voters and voters across our nation, this practice must come to an end. The implementation of our efficiency gap standard would go a long way in ensuring that every voter is entitled to equal protection under the law and having their voice heard.”

Related Stories
‹
Judge Strikes Down North Carolina Law on Prosecuting Ex-Felons Who Voted Before 2024
A federal judge has halted the enforcement of a North Carolina law that made it a serious crime for someone to vote while still on probation or parole for a felony conviction when they had simply violated the voting law by mistake.
North Carolina Governor Appoints Democrat To Fill Supreme Court Vacancy
Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper appointed an appellate judge and longtime voting rights attorney to fill a vacancy on the North Carolina Supreme Court created when one of two Democratic justices stepped down early. Allison Riggs, a registered Democrat, will replace outgoing Justice Michael Morgan, who resigned last week from the panel […]
Voting Rights Lawyer To Fill N. Carolina Appeals Court Seat
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A longtime voting rights attorney will be appointed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday, filling a vacancy when Judge Richard Dietz moves to the state Supreme Court next month. Allison Riggs, a co-leader of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Durham, has […]
NC Redistricting Suit Challenges Lack of Race Data for Maps
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON Advocacy groups and voters sued on Friday to block the North Carolina General Assembly’s timetable to pass new boundaries for legislative seats next week, saying Republicans are breaking rules designed to ensure Black voters can elect their favored candidates. The North Carolina NAACP, Common Cause and four individuals filed a lawsuit […]
Lawsuit on Ex-Offender Voting Filed in Close-Divided North Carolina
A North Carolina law that prohibits convicted felons from voting until their full sentence is completed — not just their prison time — is being challenged in court with arguments that were successfully used in recent election-related litigation. Three groups that help ex-prisoners rejoin society, with six defendants barred from voting by their lingering punishments, […]
Judge: Libel Case Over Double-Voting Accusations to Continue
Four North Carolina voters can pursue their libel lawsuit against allies of former Gov. Pat McCrory and a Virginia law firm that tried to help the Republican politician’s unsuccessful effort to disqualify votes and win re-election in 2016, attorneys learned Tuesday. Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour notified attorneys he’s decided to allow the four plaintiffs […]
Coalition Develops New Way to Measure Gerrymandering
Two gerrymandering lawsuits are set to be heard in federal court this summer in Greensboro. There are two types of gerrymandering, or when district lines are drawn to benefit one group and disenfranchise another. One is racial gerrymandering, which is illegal under the Fifteenth Amendment. The other is partisan gerrymandering, or drawing districts that will favor […]
McCrory Concedes North Carolina Gubernatorial Race to Roy Cooper
Republican incumbent Governor Pat McCrory officially conceded the gubernatorial race to Democratic Attorney General, now Governor-elect Roy Cooper in a video message on Monday – nearly four weeks after Election Day. The message was released as Durham County was finishing up a recount of more than 90,000 votes that had been contested. The votes came […]
North Carolina Elections Board Orders Durham Recount
North Carolina’s elections board has ordered Durham County to recount tens of thousands of ballots cast during early voting, reversing the decision of the county board a couple of weeks ago. The state board’s 3-2 decision Wednesday evening after close to three hours of arguments could delay further final results in the governor’s race. Republican […]
NC Governor Race: Cooper's Lead Growing, Durham County Appeal to State Board Set for Wednesday
Three weeks after Election Day, the race for Governor in North Carolina appears to solidifying for Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper. With more counties beginning to certify results, Cooper’s lead has only grown from early Wednesday morning following Election Day, when Cooper first declared victory. The outcome of the election has been in limbo as […]
›