Associated Press: NC redistricting trial concludes; ruling coming within days

Associated Press: NC redistricting trial concludes; ruling coming within days

This episode, combined with other information, is “more than enough to support (an) inference of nefarious intent” by Republican lawmakers, said lawyer Hilary Klein, a lawyer for Common Cause, another plaintiff. Strach likened the concept maps to “a shiny, irrelevant object” in the plaintiffs’ case.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A rapid trial over North Carolina’s new congressional and legislative districts concluded Thursday with closing arguments over whether the boundaries contain unlawful gerrymanders that should be replaced for upcoming elections.

The three trial judges have until Tuesday to rule, the result of a directive by the state Supreme Court, which last month ordered a trial on redistricting lawsuits be held and delayed the March primary until May in the meantime. These three Superior Court judges previously declined to block the use of the maps, leading to the intervention by the Supreme Court. Appeals are likely to follow no matter the outcome. …

Rep. Destin Hall, the House Redistricting Committee chairman, acknowledged in both a December deposition and testimony Wednesday that he looked at “concept maps” drawn by someone else before he drew new boundaries in the committee room. Hall testified the maps focused on a handful of regions, only gave him a “heads up” about where city lines and population centers were located, and weren’t that useful.

The late disclosure contrasts with Hall’s repeated declaration that the redistricting process was the most transparent in state history.

These maps, which Hall said were provided by an aide who no longer works for him, have apparently been destroyed.

This episode, combined with other information, is “more than enough to support (an) inference of nefarious intent” by Republican lawmakers, said lawyer Hilary Klein, a lawyer for Common Cause, another plaintiff. Strach likened the concept maps to “a shiny, irrelevant object” in the plaintiffs’ case.