vbass's MyC-SPAN

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in Moore v. Harper, a case on North Carolina’s congressional districts map and whether state courts can rule on maps governing federal elections. North Carolina’s 2021 congressional map was approved by the Republican-controlled state legislature. Lawsuits were filed, challenging it on the basis of gerrymandering in favor of the GOP. The state Supreme Court agreed and blocked its use in the 2022 midterm elections. A new map was completed by court-appointed experts and used in the elections, but Republican legislative leaders appealed to the Supreme Court. The case hinges on the so-called independent state legislature theory, the idea that the U.S. Constitution allows states' lawmakers to regulate federal elections without checks and balances from other government entities such as courts, governors, election administrators, or independent commissions.

On June 27, 2023, the Court in a 6-3 ruling rejected the independent state legislature theory.