ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Prosecuting attorneys are expected to stand before a panel of three judges on Thursday as state officials seek to dismiss a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s district maps, according to reports from WLOS.
The Bard v. NC Board of Election case argues that North Carolinians have the right to free and fair elections and alleges that the current district maps violate those rights.
Bob Orr, a former state Supreme Court justice, is one of the attorneys who filed the “fair election” lawsuit against state lawmakers and the North Carolina State Board of Elections, according to WLOS.
“The claim by the legislative defendants is that this is a political question and thus is not a just-able issue. Ideally, the solution is you don’t use political data and election results and all of the factors that allow politicians to pick and choose the most favorable voters for their district,” Orr said. “I mean, there are all sorts of criteria, some mandatory and some sort of a good practice. The compactness of a district, the contiguity of the geographical area.”
“Despite the fact that this suit is unlikely to be successful in the short term, that doesn’t mean that it’s not important,” Western Carolina University Political Science Professor Chris Cooper said. “Battles over redistricting will continue into the future, and establishing this argument now could enable performers in the future.”
The hearing on the legislative defendant’s motion to dismiss will be held on Thursday, June 13, at 10 a.m. at Wake County Superior Court at Campbell University School of Law, according to WLOS.
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