Another Congressional Map, Another Lawsuit | Eastern NC Now

Publisher's note: This post, by Andy Jackson, was originally published in Civitas's online edition.

    The North Carolina General Assembly passed a new set of congressional districts today. Within an hour, the same Democratic organization that had sued against the previous map said that they would sue over the new map as well.

    Both houses of the General Assembly passed the redistricting bill on party-line votes. While the new map will likely result in a congressional delegation of 8 Republicans and 5 Democrats rather than the current 10-3 split, Democrats were reportedly not happy and instead demanded only a 7-6, or even a 6-7 map, would be fair.

    That despite the fact that most nonpartisan work has found that an 8-5 is the most natural fit for North Carolina's political geography.

    "Sue until blue: the neverending journey"

    Of course, it would not be redistricting in North Carolina without someone suing. This time it is a familiar face. Within an hour of the new maps being drawn, the National Redistricting Foundation, led by former Obama attorney general Eric Holder, announced that it would take legal action against the new map. Holder's group was behind Harper v Lewis, the lawsuit that resulted in the previous maps being enjoined.

    At this point, it is likely that this new lawsuit will be thrown out as being too disruptive of the electoral process, especially since it is unlikely to succeed against an 8-5 map.