Case Summary
This case was a state court challenge to four Wake County House districts in North Carolina's 2017 plan on the grounds that they violated the state constitution's prohibition against mid-decade redistricting. It was filed in North Carolina state court on behalf of the N.C. NAACP, Democracy North Carolina, League of Women Voters of North Carolina, A. Philip Randolph Institute of North Carolina, and four individuals (Elaine Okal, Retta Riordan, Cheryl Tung, and Candace Blackley).
When lawmakers altered those districts as part of court-ordered redistricting to cure two racially gerrymandered districts in Wake County, they went beyond what the federal court directed and violated the state constitution. A three-judge panel ruled that the House districts were unconstitutional and directed the General Assembly to adopt a remedial plan during the 2019 legislative session. In February 2019, the legislative defendants filed a notice withdrawing their appeal of that ruling.
Why it's Important
The revised districts breached the state constitution's ban on altering district boundaries mid-decade, and lawmakers exceeded the directives of the federal court by modifying districts that were not necessary to address the issues of racial gerrymandering.
