Redistricting: Common Cause v. Rucho / League of Women Voters v. Rucho

Case name: Common Cause v. Rucho / League of Women Voters v. Rucho

​What it's about: Redistricting

State or federal court: Federal court, Middle District of N.C.

Summary: Both cases say the congressional districts drawn in 2016 in response to another lawsuit represent extreme politically partisan gerrymanders. The districts are so unbalanced, the plaintiffs say, they deprive voters of the ability to make choices. Lawmakers defending the districts say they are within their rights to draw districts in order to gain a political advantage. Both Common Cause and the League of Women Voters have been involved in pushes to create a nonpartisan redistricting process.

In the real world: These cases have not yet had an impact on North Carolina elections.

Where it stands: A panel of three federal judges ruled in January 2018 that the 2016 maps were excessively partisan and ordered lawmakers to redraw them. At the same time, the judges want to appoint a special master to draw a second map for the panel to consider. Lawmakers have asked for a stay of that ruling, saying it would disrupt candidate filing for the May primary. The lasting effect of the ruling is unclear, as a similar lawsuit out of Wisconsin pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.