(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday reversed a century of the state’s Democrat vote-fixing machinations and far-left judicial activism in a series of rulings that supporters hailed as major victories for election integrity and political analysts predicted could have national implications.
The high court, in a trio of 5-2 rulings, restored North Carolina’s Voter ID law, removed judicial activism gerrymandering and ended voting for felons who have not completed their sentences.
In its ruling on redistricting, the Republican-majority court reversed its Democrat-majority predecessor’s decision to toss out district maps drawn by the voters’ elected representatives for congressional and legislative races. State courts, which North Carolina Democrats for decades had used partisan lawfare suits to scheme voting districts through judicial edict, were declawed.
As a reminder, Democrats gerrymandered North Carolina from 1896 – 2010. Yes, 1896 – 2010. That is 114 years.
In 2010, Republicans won the majority on Democrat gerrymandered maps.
My message to my Democrat colleagues…#ncpol pic.twitter.com/LoCPJbEME5
— Jon Warren (@Livermush_Grits) April 28, 2023
The court’s ruling bodes well for the state’s Republican-majority General Assembly’s authority to draw maps reflective of what voters want going into elections next year, and the court’s voter ID ruling could have immediate impact.
Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman predicted that the court’s ruling “could wipe out four Dem seats, nearly doubling the GOP’s cushion in the House” in 2024.
North Carolina currently has seven Republicans and seven Democrats in the U.S. House, which the GOP controls by a razor-thin majority.
I’m old enough to remember when NC democrats created this district and nobody in news media gave a damn or cried about gerrymandering https://t.co/qd0n82mSJx pic.twitter.com/zZvep5tuIO
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) April 28, 2023
“Our constitution expressly assigns the redistricting authority to the General Assembly subject to explicit limitations in the text,” wrote the high court’s Chief Justice Paul Newby. “It is not within the authority of this Court to amend the constitution to create such limitations on a responsibility that is textually assigned to another branch.”
Newby added that the state’s “constitution does not require or permit a standard known only to four justices. Finally, creating partisan redistricting standards is rife with policy decisions. Policy decisions belong to the legislative branch, not the judiciary.”
Breaking: NC Supreme Court reverses prior partisan, corrupt rulings by leftist court and REINSTATES North Carolina voter id measure approved by voters!
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) April 28, 2023
“Today is a great day for North Carolina and the rule of law,” said N.C. Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley. “The people of North Carolina rejected the blatant activism of the progressive judges by electing a strong majority of conservative Justices. These rulings are a big step toward restoring respect for the Constitution and taking politics out of the courtroom.”
The court’s ruling on felon-voting and voter ID, which reversed a Democrat decision to toss the measure based on claims that it was racially discriminatory, were both championed as wins for election integrity.
U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., a stalwart conservative during his stint in the state’s legislature, commended the court’s decision.
“North Carolinians voted overwhelmingly in 2018 to enact voter ID,” Bishop said. “It’s long past time the people’s voice is finally honored.”
