WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court should reject the dangerous and fringe independent state legislature theory (ISLT) presented in Мур против Харпера regardless of the highly unusual decision by the North Carolina Supreme Court to rehear the remedial decision in Харпер против Холла, according to a new plaintiff’s letter responding to the high court.

“This Court retains jurisdiction over this case regardless of the outcome of the North Carolina Supreme Court’s rehearing proceedings in Харпер II,” the letter states. “Petitioners ask this Court to decide whether state courts can play any role in adjudicating congressional redistricting maps. No matter how the North Carolina Supreme Court rules on rehearing of Харпер II, that issue will remain live before this Court.”

Полный текст дополнительного информационного письма можно прочитать здесь.

The U.S. Supreme Court requested supplemental briefing in Мур on March 2, 2023, asking parties what the effect was on its jurisdiction following the North Carolina Supreme Court’s rehearing of the December 16, 2022, decision in Харпер против Холла. That decision, Харпер II, considered whether the remedial maps used in the 2022 election were still unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders.

The North Carolina Supreme Court’s earlier February 2022 opinion, Harper I, struck down the original 2021 state legislative and congressional maps enacted by the North Carolina legislature as unconstitutional gerrymanders, and is the decision that was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in Мур.

Oral arguments in Мур took place on December 7, 2022. At that time, the N.C. Supreme Court had already rejected gamesmanship in mapmaking in Харпер II by ruling the partisan gerrymandering disproportionately and unconstitutionally came at the expense of minority voters in the state. Once the North Carolina court changed partisan composition in early 2023 however, it granted a rehearing of the later remedial decision issued in December at Republican legislators’ request. The time for rehearing Harper I is long past, but legislators have asked the North Carolina Supreme Court to overrule that decision as well.

Some court watchers have questioned whether the move in North Carolina would moot the Мур case. The supplemental brief filed today by Нил Кумар Катьял, партнер Hogan Lovells and co-counsel with Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) representing Plaintiff Common Cause, set forth why the state proceedings do not change the Supreme Court’s ability to issue a decision in Мур:

“This Court should not wait until this question comes before it on an emergency basis in the lead up to the 2024 election cycle,” wrote Katyal, who also argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court Justices in December 2022. “The question presented is fully briefed, thoroughly argued, and ripe for decision. This Court is the only forum that can definitively resolve that question and provide guidance to state legislatures and state courts across the country.”

Защитники избирательных прав призвали Мура Аргумент ISLT представляет собой серьезную угрозу демократии. Законодатели, которые придерживаются этой теории, извращают статью о выборах в Конституции США, утверждая, что только законодательные органы штатов имеют право определять, как должны быть нарисованы карты федеральных округов, и, более того, что суды штатов не могут вмешиваться в этот процесс, а конституции штатов не могут быть принудительно исполнены, если они противоречат воле группы законодателей, стремящихся укрепить свою власть.

“We knew from the start this brazen power grab was wrong and flew in the faces of the U.S and North Carolina Constitutions,” said Bob Phillips, Common Cause North Carolina’s Executive Director. “Nothing has changed on that front. We need the U.S. Supreme Court to toss this nonsensical ‘independent state legislature theory’ into the dustbin where it belongs — and there is no better time than now when we aren’t on the eve of a major election.”

Oral arguments in Мур lasted three and a half hours, a lengthy period of time in which the U.S. Supreme Court Justices examined the flimsy legal underpinnings of the dangerous ISLT that would erode people’s voting rights.

“ISLT was wrong when this matter was briefed and argued before the Supreme Court in 2022, and it remains wrong in 2023,” said Хилари Харрис Кляйн, старший юрист по избирательным правам в SCSJ. “Nothing that has happened in the state proceedings has changed this fact, and the arguments and briefing show definitively that voters deserve an unambiguous rejection of this dangerous theory by our country’s highest court.”

Решение в Мур is expected early this summer.

“Checks and balances were embedded throughout our Constitution to prevent any one person, group or political party from unjustly seizing power that rightly belongs to the people,” said Kathay Feng, Common Cause’s Vice-President for Programs. “The U.S. Supreme Court, when they release their decision in a few months, must reject this reckless attempt to hand state lawmakers unchecked power to manipulate our elections.”

Контакты для СМИ:
Sarah Ovaska | sovaska@commoncause.org | 919-606-6112
Брайан Уорнер | bwarner@commoncause.org | 919-836-0027
Мелисса Боутон | мелисса@scsj.org | 830-481-6901

Общее Дело — беспартийная, низовая организация, призванная отстаивать основные ценности американской демократии. Мы работаем над созданием открытого, честного и ответственного правительства, которое служит общественным интересам; продвигаем равные права, возможности и представительство для всех; и даем всем людям возможность быть услышанными в политическом процессе.

Южная коалиция за социальную справедливость, основанная в 2007 году, сотрудничает с цветными общинами и экономически неблагополучными общинами на Юге для защиты и продвижения их политических, социальных и экономических прав посредством сочетания правовой защиты, исследований, организации и коммуникаций. Узнайте больше на southcoalition.org и следите за нашей работой Твиттер, Фейсбук, и Инстаграм.