The U.S. Supreme Court this fall will take up a momentous fight over parties manipulating electoral districts to gain partisan advantage. The cases could affect the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans in North Carolina and other states.
The fundamental question here is, 'what role can politics and partisanship play in the redistricting process?' And you might argue that we have two competing principles. - Duke Law professor Guy-Uriel Charles
The Supreme Court recently found North Carolina's 1st and 12th Congressional Districts and many of the state's legislative districts to be racial gerrymanders. Another case alleges that state lawmakers used partisan gerrymandering when drawing congressional maps to such an extent that the redistricting was unconstitutional.
The Wisconsin case involves legislative districts drawn by Republican lawmakers that favored their party. At issue is whether those districts were so out of alignment with the state's political breakdown that they violated the constitutional rights of Democratic voters.
For a better understanding of what the Supreme Court justices will be considering, and what it could mean for North Carolina, WFAE's Mark Rumsey spoke with law professor Guy-Uriel Charles at Duke University.
