WASHINGTON, D.C. — The dispute over the fringe independent state legislature theory must be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in time to prepare maps, ballots and election rules well in advance of the 2024 elections, according to briefing filed today by Common Cause in the Moore contra Harper case.

“The Question Presented in this case is ‘important’ and it is ‘almost certain to keep arising until the Court definitively resolves it,’” the brief states, quoting Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “Petitioners’ independent state legislature theory calls into question hundreds of state constitutional provisions and as many (or more) election laws. … It is therefore exceptionally important that the Court address the Question Presented as quickly as possible.”

Lea la carta informativa complementaria completa aquí.

The U.S. Supreme Court already requested supplemental briefing after the North Carolina Supreme Court decided to rehear the remedial decision in Harper contra Hall, the underlying case to Moore. It again requested briefing last week after the state court granted GOP lawmakers’ request to not only reverse its December 2022 decision (Harper II) protecting voters from partisan gerrymandering but to also overturn its February 2022 decision (Harper I) arguing the standard articulated in that matter was flawed.

The supplemental brief filed today by Neal Kumar Katyal, socio de Hogan Lovells and co-counsel with Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) representing Plaintiff Common Cause, states the North Carolina Supreme Court’s ruling in Harper should have no effect on Justices’ ability to rule in Moore.

“Because of the two-year federal election cycle and the need to resolve election disputes well in advance of elections, it is not clear that this Court could resolve this issue with a different vehicle,” Katyal wrote in the briefing. “Dismissing this case would thus create a danger that the issue would evade this Court’s review yet again or that this Court would be required to address the issue in the context of an emergency application with limited briefing, no argument, and insufficient time to decide an issue of this importance.”

Los defensores del derecho al voto han pedido De Moore El argumento de la ISLT es una grave amenaza para la democracia. Los legisladores que suscriben esta teoría pervierten la cláusula electoral de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos para afirmar que sólo las legislaturas estatales tienen el poder de determinar cómo deben trazarse los mapas de los distritos federales y, además, que los tribunales estatales no pueden intervenir en ese proceso ni pueden aplicarse las constituciones estatales si son contrarias a la voluntad de un grupo de legisladores que buscan afianzar su poder.

“The U.S. Supreme Court should toss the nonsensical ‘independent state legislature theory’ into the dustbin where it belongs — and there’s no better time than now when we aren’t on the eve of a major election,” said Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina. “The people of North Carolina deserve to know that our constitutional freedoms will withstand attacks by extremist politicians.”

Una decisión en Moore is expected by the end of the Supreme Court’s term later this summer.

“Checks and balances are the foundation this nation was built on, and ensure that power rests with the people of this country,” said Kathay Feng, Common Cause’s Vice President of Programs. “The Supreme Court must rule on our case and extinguish this flimsy, dangerous attempt by power-crazed politicians to ignore the will of voters.”

“Even though the new majority on the NC Court has signaled it will no longer protect voters from legislative overreach, state courts and state constitutions can and should play a crucial role in protecting voting rights,” said Hilary Harris Klein, asesora principal de derechos de voto en SCSJ. “The Court should take this opportunity to confirm these protections apply in all elections, and reject the ISLT once and for all.”

###

La Coalición Sureña para la Justicia Social, fundada en 2007, colabora con comunidades de color y comunidades económicamente desfavorecidas del Sur para defender y promover sus derechos políticos, sociales y económicos mediante la combinación de defensa legal, investigación, organización y comunicaciones. Obtenga más información en coaliciónsur.org y sigue nuestro trabajo en Gorjeo, Facebook, y Instagram.

Causa común es una organización de base no partidista dedicada a defender los valores fundamentales de la democracia estadounidense. Trabajamos para crear un gobierno abierto, honesto y responsable que sirva al interés público; promover la igualdad de derechos, oportunidades y representación para todos; y empoderar a todas las personas para que hagan oír su voz en el proceso político.