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North Carolina voter ID and tax cap amendments are enforceable, judges rule
Associated Press ^ | September 8, 2025 | Gary D. Robertson

Posted on 09/09/2025 6:22:11 AM PDT by karpov

Two North Carolina constitutional amendments approved by voters — including a photo voter identification mandate — are enforceable, a trial court panel ruled three years after appeals judges declared they could be nullified because state lawmakers who helped put them on 2018 ballots came from districts tainted by illegal racial bias.

A panel of three Superior Court judges agreed late last week with GOP legislative leaders who wanted dismissed a lawsuit that focused on whether certain legislative actions could be voided if enough General Assembly members elected from racially gerrymandered districts swayed the outcome. The amendment referendums were put on the ballot through bills approved in part by lawmakers elected from nearly 30 districts struck down by federal courts as illegal gerrymanders.

The state Supreme Court ruled in August 2022 — when Democrats held a 4-3 seat majority — that canceling such referendum initiations was possible. But it said a trial judge who initially voided the two approved amendments in early 2019 needed to gather more evidence on the particulars. Along with the voter ID requirements, a majority of voters also approved an amendment lowering the cap on income tax rates from 10% to 7%.

The party-line majority opinion in 2022 said the initial judge had to evaluate whether leaving the amendments in place would allow improperly elected legislators to escape accountability, further exclude voters from the democratic process or amount to continued discrimination. If the answer to any is yes, the justices said, an amendment must be invalidated.

Over the next three years, however, the case was transferred to a three-judge panel.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS:
Good. Invalidating referendums because the legislators who put them on the ballot were allegedly from gerrymandered districts is bizarre. Both parties gerrymander.
1 posted on 09/09/2025 6:22:11 AM PDT by karpov
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To: karpov

Somehow I missed that when it happened. What an atrocity. That would have been a big stepnforward to judicial tyranny like Israel where the Supreme Court has taken to itself the ability to void laws they just don’t like


2 posted on 09/09/2025 6:38:23 AM PDT by j.havenfarm (24 years on Free Republic, 12/10/24! More than 10,500 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: karpov

Good news, now on to school reform.


3 posted on 09/09/2025 6:39:47 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: karpov

F’n AP, at issue was whether someone had to prove they were a citizen to vote just every other country in the world. AP is in a snit because this makes it harder for the rats to cheat.


4 posted on 09/09/2025 6:45:26 AM PDT by iamgalt
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To: karpov

AP and Obama deeply saddened.


5 posted on 09/09/2025 6:55:43 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: karpov

And it’s only acceptable in the eyes of the media when demonrats do it.


6 posted on 09/09/2025 7:02:19 AM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: 1Old Pro

Pronto.


7 posted on 09/09/2025 7:02:26 AM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: karpov

Democrats actually specialized in the gerrymandering game, while the Republicans offered no resistance whatsoever.


8 posted on 09/09/2025 8:07:09 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: karpov

Due away with property taxes, am 83 years old shouldn’t have to pay any more.


9 posted on 09/09/2025 8:18:42 AM PDT by boomop1 (term limits NOW)
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To: karpov

“… through bills approved in part by lawmakers elected from nearly 30 districts struck down by federal courts as illegal gerrymanders.”

The districts were illegal, so those legislators had no authority.

A very slippery slope when a federal judge can rule a district was illegally created and its representatives can’t take their seats.


10 posted on 09/09/2025 9:20:21 AM PDT by VanShuyten ("...that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable animals.”)
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To: karpov

But, Demos ALWAYS gerrymander on racist grounds. GOP might, but do it just to tailor voting preferences.

Demo justification is based on racist assumptions like: the interests of an Asian man cannot be represented by a black woman. Nope, can’t do that. The Asian has to be represented by another Asian. Ditto on blacks, etc.

This will be overturned in its entirety by SCOTUS in Oct.


11 posted on 09/09/2025 9:32:24 AM PDT by bobbo666
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To: boomop1

Yes ewe due


12 posted on 09/09/2025 10:35:35 AM PDT by oldbill
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To: 1Old Pro

How about bail reform?
Mecklenburg County: The county has adopted a pretrial release program that minimizes the use of cash bail for many offenses.


13 posted on 09/09/2025 11:04:09 AM PDT by Harpotoo (Being a socialist is a lot easier than having to WORK like the rest of US;-))
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To: Harpotoo
How about bail reform?

Yep, we need to get back to requiring bail.

14 posted on 09/09/2025 11:08:15 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: oldbill

LOL (do) I guess being 83 do dah due.


15 posted on 09/09/2025 7:42:40 PM PDT by boomop1 (term limits NOW)
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To: iamgalt

Trump needs to declare a national emergency due to corruption and lack of election integrity. They need to make it mandatory that all poling stations be fully transparent including live streaming the entire location and make it horribly painful for anyone to interfere with an election observer from participating in all activities. Full transparency really scares the criminals. Federal agents at each location with authority to arrest anyone that tries to skirt the rules.


16 posted on 09/09/2025 7:50:16 PM PDT by BOBWADE (God Bless America)
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To: BOBWADE

Perhaps they could deputize border patrol and ice agents to assist with security at the polling stations. ;^)


17 posted on 09/09/2025 7:51:23 PM PDT by BOBWADE (God Bless America)
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