[EL] North Carolina redistricting struck as partisan gerrymander under state constitution; more news

[Rick Hasen]

Breaking: Unanimous State Court in North Carolina Holds State Legislative Districts Are Unconstitutional Partisan Gerrymanders Under State Constitution; What It Means and What Comes Next<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107177>
Posted on September 3, 2019 1:25 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107177> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

You can find the 357-page unanimous ruling at this link<https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/athena/files/2019/09/03/5d6ec7bee4b0cdfe0576ee09.pdf>. Given the state Supreme Court has a 6-1 Democratic majority (including now Justice Anita Earls), this ruling could well be upheld on appeal.

This is a huge development that will put the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly in a tough position. Because this is decided as a matter of state constitutional law, it would be very hard to find a federal issue to take this to the United States Supreme Court for reversal.

It might be possible to try to amend the state constitution to allow for partisan gerrymandering, but that too might be a tough sell.

And I expect plaintiffs could mount a similar effort against the state’s congressional redistricting plan, which the US Supreme Court upheld against federal constitutional challenge in the Rucho case.

Very, very big development indeed.
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Posted in redistricting<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=6>


Fifth Circuit Releases Opinion and Dissent Finding Mississippi District Violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107175>
Posted on September 3, 2019 12:59 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107175> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

This set <http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/19/19-60133-CV2.pdf> of three opinions raises some important, unresolved VRA section 2 questions. This one could well go en banc given Judge Willett’s dissent and the increasingly hard conservative makeup of the Fifth Circuit.
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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>


“New York’s Arcane Election Laws Continue to Suppress Voters”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107173>
Posted on September 3, 2019 11:32 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107173> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jerry Goldfeder<https://www.stroock.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/JerryGoldfederTimesUnion082819.pdf> in the Albany Times-Union.
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Posted in Uncategorized<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=1>


“States Upgrade Election Equipment — Wary Of ‘A Race Without A Finish Line'”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107171>
Posted on September 3, 2019 7:59 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107171> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Pam Fessler<https://www.npr.org/2019/09/03/756007555/states-upgrade-election-equipment-wary-of-a-race-without-a-finish-line> reports for NPR.
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Posted in election administration<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, voting technology<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>


Steven Rosenfeld on What Went Wrong With Democrats’ Attempts at Virtual Voting in Iowa, Nevada Caucuses<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107169>
Posted on September 3, 2019 7:14 am<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=107169> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Not read<https://www.salon.com/2019/08/31/dnc-reverses-course-on-virtual-voting-in-2020-iowa-and-nevada-caucuses_partner/>y for prime time.
[Share]<https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D107169&title=Steven%20Rosenfeld%20on%20What%20Went%20Wrong%20With%20Democrats%E2%80%99%20Attempts%20at%20Virtual%20Voting%20in%20Iowa%2C%20Nevada%20Caucuses>
Posted in election administration<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, voting technology<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=40>


--
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
UC Irvine School of Law
401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949.824.3072 - office
rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>
http://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/hasen/
http://electionlawblog.org<http://electionlawblog.org/>


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