Common Cause NC statement on injunction granted against gerrymandered NC congressional districts

RALEIGH – A three-judge panel of the Wake County Superior Court today issued an injunction in the case of Harper v. Lewis, blocking the use of North Carolina’s gerrymandered congressional districts in the 2020 election pending a final decision on whether those maps should be redrawn.

The case of Harper v. Lewis was brought by a group of North Carolina voters, including Common Cause NC member Becky Harper, challenging partisan gerrymandering of North Carolina’s congressional districts as a violation of the state constitution. The lawsuit comes after the same three-judge panel issued a unanimous ruling last month in the case of Common Cause v. Lewis striking down partisan gerrymandering of North Carolina’s legislative districts as a violation of the state constitution and ordering the NC House and NC Senate districts to be drawn.

The following is a statement from Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause NC, in response to today’s injunction in the case of Harper v. Lewis:

“Today’s decision by the court granting an injunction in Harper v. Lewis is a welcome victory for the people of North Carolina. We hope it is a sign that the state’s egregiously gerrymandered congressional districts will ultimately be struck down and redrawn to be completely free from partisan gerrymandering. As the landmark ruling in Common Cause v. Lewis made clear last month, partisan gerrymandering violates the constitutional rights of North Carolina voters and it must end.”

Common Cause NC is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy.

Media contact: Bryan Warner, Common Cause NC, at 919-836-0027 or bwarner@commoncause.org