NC Supreme Court upholds law for 3-judge court
The [North Carolina] state Supreme Court said Thursday that a three-judge panel should hear the latest redistricting fight, marking a setback for Republicans looking to block the latest maps.
In an opinion with no dissenting justices, the court sided with legislative leaders and state attorneys who said the General Assembly had the authority to create the panel last year.
The panel, required by law to hear cases in Wake County, will decide whether state House and Senate boundaries approved in November are constitutional.
Republicans opposed to the latest maps argued that Johnston County Superior Court Judge Knox Jenkins still had the authority over redistricting. He struck down two earlier sets of boundaries, from 2001 and 2002.
GOP leaders said Democrats who control the state Senate and share control of the House intentionally took the case from Jenkins because they were unhappy with his past rulings. -- N.C. Supreme Court affirms three-judge panel for redistricting (AP via Wilmington Star)