VICTORY! U.S. Supreme Court stops power grab by NC politicians in historic Moore v. Harper ruling
On June 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a dangerous power grab by North Carolina politicians, issuing a historic pro-democracy ruling in our case of Moore v. Harper!
Learn more about this historic victory for democracy.
About the case of Moore v. Harper:
In 2021, the North Carolina state legislature drew new congressional and legislative voting districts that were extreme partisan gerrymanders. Common Cause NC joined a group of plaintiffs in challenging those gerrymanders in state court.
In 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in favor of Common Cause NC and the other plaintiffs, finding that the legislature’s gerrymanders violated North Carolina’s Constitution.
As a result of that ruling, the legislature redrew the districts once again. However, the legislature’s redrawn congressional map continued to be an illegal gerrymander. Since the legislature repeatedly proved itself unwilling to draw districts without gerrymandering, the court tasked a panel of neutral experts – called “special masters” – to draw congressional districts that met constitutional standards.
The new congressional map drawn by the special masters was adopted by the state court for the 2022 election.
Instead of respecting the NC Supreme Court’s ruling, politicians in the North Carolina legislature – led by Republican House Speaker Tim Moore – filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, grasping at a fringe concept never before accepted by American courts. Moore and his group wanted the legislature to have unchecked power over federal elections in North Carolina, which would have included sole authority over creating the state’s congressional districts, even if those districts were gerrymandered to the extreme.
The case of Moore v. Harper was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in December 2022.
On June 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic 6-3 decision in Moore v. Harper, rejecting the attempted power grab by North Carolina politicians.
