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N.C. lawmakers won’t appeal ruling striking down four districts

On February 15, 2019, legislative defendants filed a notice withdrawing their appeal of a Superior Court ruling that found the 2017 redistricting of four Wake County House districts to be unconstitutional.  In November 2018, a three-judge panel found that the redistricting changes violated the North Carolina Constitution’s prohibition on mid-decade redistricting.  The court’s order requires that legislators return the district lines to their previous configuration during this long legislative session.

Democracy North Carolina is among several plaintiffs in the case which also include the North Carolina NAACP, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, and the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute and four individual Wake County voters.

“We believe voters deserve voting maps free from discrimination based on race or party, and we are hopeful that new state districts in Wake County will finally meet those criteria.” –Tomas Lopez, Democracy North Carolina

Democracy North Carolina Executive Director Tomas Lopez issued the following statement after legislative defendants announced their intention to drop their appeal November’s decision:

“We are heartened by legislative leadership’s decision not to appeal a state court decision finding the N.C. General Assembly illegally altered four N.C. House districts. As co-plaintiffs in this lawsuit, we believe voters deserve voting maps free from discrimination based on race or party, and we are hopeful that new state districts in Wake County will finally meet those criteria.”