CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper praised the Supreme Court's ruling Tuesday that said the state's top court didn't overstep its bounds by striking down a congressional districting plan that violated state law.
The justices voted 6-3 in a case that could have transformed elections for Congress and president by limiting the power of courts. North Carolina Republicans asked the court to leave state legislatures virtually unchecked by state courts when dealing with federal elections.
"This is a good decision that curbs some of the power of Republican state legislatures and affirms the importance of checks and balances," Cooper said in a statement. "But Republican legislators in North Carolina and across the country remain a very real threat to democracy as they continue to pass laws to manipulate elections for partisan gain by interfering with the freedom to vote."
On the other side, House Speaker Tim Moore responded to the Supreme Court's ruling.
"Today the United States Supreme Court has determined that state courts may rule on questions of state law even if it has an impact on federal elections law," Moore said. "Ultimately, the question of the role of state courts in congressional redistricting needed to be settled and this decision has done just that. I am proud of the work we did to pursue this case to the nation's highest court.
"Fortunately the current Supreme Court of North Carolina has rectified bad precedent from the previous majority, reaffirming the state constitutional authority of the NC General Assembly. We will continue to move forward with the redistricting process later this year."
The NAACP North Carolina State Conference also celebrated the ruling, saying it is a "majority victory for voting rights, checks and balances, and the sanctity of our democracy."
The Supreme Court's decision Tuesday did suggest there could be limits on state court efforts to police elections for Congress and president.
The practical effect of the decision is minimal in that the North Carolina Supreme Court, under a new Republican majority, already has undone its redistricting ruling.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch would have dismissed the case because of the intervening North Carolina court action.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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