In a major development, the trial court in Common Cause v. Rucho agreed yesterday to stay its own decision ruling that North Carolina’s U.S. House map is an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The decision is on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court can weigh in on the case, which is consolidated with League of Women Voters of North Carolina v. Rucho.

What’s the catch and why is this not terrible news? The court agreed to this on two conditions that the Common Cause plaintiffs demanded to ensure that the Supreme Court can hear the case as soon as possible. First, the defendant legislators must file their initial request for Supreme Court review by October 1. Second, defendants may not request any extensions to deadlines once the case is pending before the high court. This means we’re on track for the Supreme Court to hear our argument that partisan gerrymandering violates fundamental constitutional protections in the next term without delay. This presents the Justices with the opportunity to prohibit or limit partisan gerrymandering nationwide.

So what does this mean for the continued fight for fair representation? Learn more when Kathay Feng and Dan Vicuna host a Facebook Live discussion today at 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET. Join us live to watch and ask questions or watch a recording of the discussion after it’s over.