US Supreme Court tosses NC high court decision on state's GOP-drawn electoral maps

[alp227]

Source: Raleigh News & Observer

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out a North Carolina Supreme Court ruling that had upheld the state’s Republican-drawn legislative and congressional districts.

The nation’s highest court ordered the state’s highest court to reconsider whether legislators relied too heavily on race when drawing the 2011 maps, which shape how state and federal elections are decided.

In an order released Monday, the U.S. justices ordered North Carolina’s highest court to reconsider the 2011 maps in light of a recent decision the court made in a similar Alabama case.

The North Carolina case is Dickson v. Rucho. Dickson is former state Rep. Margaret Dickson, who said in a statement Monday that North Carolinians “deserve to have this resolved so that they can benefit from fair and legal maps for the 2016 elections.”

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article19037169.html

[Newsjock]

1. Surprising

I read the headline and was all prepared to come here and reply just, "Of course they did." But then I realized which way they actually ruled. Surprising, even if it was another squeaker at 5-4.

[mnhtnbb]

2. HOORAY!!

But, will it make any difference to just tell the biased NC State Supreme Court to revisit their ruling?
Because, won't they just say, oh, we looked again and we support the redistricting. Period.
There have to be some teeth to the ruling.

[Treant]

7. There are.

This decision is saying, "If you don't and this comes before us again, we're going to take matters into our hands and you won't like it."

It's a quick way of saying the decision the NC Supreme Court made was wrong, but not taking on the burden of revision as it really isn't their job.

[Surya Gayatri]

3. Mark one for the good side!

[FollowtheDough]

4. And Now I know What comes next

Something awful… from the GOP side as a win.

[Coventina]

5. This needs to be repeated in all gerrymandered states.

Which is probably all of them....

[tishaLA]

9. In CA we have a thing called the Citizen's Redistricting Commission

which replaced bipartisan gerrymandering--and was a virtual guarantee of job security for the legislators who did the gerrymandering. The idea of the citizen's commission was to create districts that are more competitive. But with CA being as blue as it is in the population centers, and the demographic changes to the state, it resulted in four more Democrats in congress.

[freshwest]

10. That's great. When did that begin? Never heard of these before. n/t

[Ford_Prefect]

6. Generally speaking the order to reconsider is a command by the Supreme Court to

adjust the ruling in question along other legal directions than those embodied in the offending judgment. In short it says "You got this wrong. Now put it right."

The implication being that the basis for the N.C. court's decision was incorrect. Hence it must reconsider the other arguments made in the case as relevant and substantial. In light of which the
N.C. Court must rule to apply those other arguments and generate a finding that acts on them.

[samsingh]

8. makes you wonder how the repug 4 can even call themselves

justices. they are not - they are generally against all things that are decent.

a Democrat better win the next election so we can get decent judicial replacements (e.g. real judges) as replacements for the likely retirees.