GOP Consultant's Private Files Viewed in Gerrymandering Case

In this Aug. 13, 2001, file frame from video provided by C-SPAN, Tom Hofeller speaks during an event at the Republican National Committee in Washington. Hofeller, a mastermind of GOP redistricting preached keeping electronic records secure. But after his death in 2018, his own files found their way to the heart of lawsuits over a U.S. census question on citizenship and North Carolina’s legislative redistricting. (C-SPAN via AP)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s legislative districts for having excessively political boundaries is going to trial, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court declared it has no authority to rule on partisan gerrymandering claims.

What’s different about the case in Raleigh is that it’s getting heard in state court, and the claims are based on alleged violations of the North Carolina Constitution, not the U.S. Constitution.

The Supreme Court’s majority opinion last week involving North Carolina’s congressional map focused only on federal courts.

The state lawsuit challenging state House and Senate districts is scheduled to go to trial July 15.

A big issue during Tuesday’s pretrial hearing will be whether a Republican consultant’s private files will be allowed as evidence.

Categories / Government, Politics, Trials

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