The Fix Was In: Federal Judges Order Lawmakers To Use ‘Independent Expert Maps’ In 2018 Elections

RALEIGH  – As soon as a three-judge panel requested attorney to submit names for a potential ‘special master’ to redraw state legislative districts that they ruled ‘racial gerrymanders’ it was clear, who all cared to see it, that these judges had already made their decision.

A Stanford University professor with his own Left-leaning history was chosen to redraw state legislative districts, above objections from the defendants, to comply with these judges’ ideas of constitutionality. What’s more is they had the gall to say they were undecided if they would require elections under the ‘special master’ maps or have lawmakers go back to the drawing boards.

Of course, Republicans had already redrawn the districts once, after the court issued an opinion that about two dozen of the Republican-drawn districts relied too heavily on race. The second time ’round, Republicans completely eliminated race from the criteria to comply with the ruling, but the judges weren’t satisfied. The new maps didn’t benefit the Democrats quite enough in nine of those districts – so a Liberal special master was assigned, and the fix was in.

“We appreciate the input and guidance of the Special Master and the Court to fully eliminate the unconstitutional use of race to segregate voters in North Carolina state legislative districts,” said Allison Riggs, senior voting rights attorney at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which represented challengers. “North Carolinians across this state fought for fair districts. We hope that legislators respect the reasoned opinion of this court that this kind of race discrimination has no place in our democracy.”

If the ruling pleases the challenging Southern Coalition for Social Justice, you know it’s bad.

The Friday ruling comes less than a month before a February 12 filing deadline for N.C. House and Senate races and Republican lawmakers have said they plan to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a related note, Friday the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay of a federal court ruling in a different case that deemed North Carolina’s 13 congressional districts an unconstitutional ‘partisan gerrymander’ – the first time a court has made such a ruling.

Considering the same close proximity of primary elections, lawmakers may again request a stay from the Supreme Court until it can consider the case on its own. Should that happen, and the high court grant it, both state and congressional 2018 elections will go forward on the current maps, and North Carolina Leftists’ dreams to #BreakTheMajority will be dashed.

It’s about time that activist judges were reigned in, and all the better if the Supreme Court is the one to overrule the lower courts’ overtures to the Left.