The Supreme Court upheld a decision by the North Carolina Supreme Court, which rejected an election reform that purported to impinge on federal election rules.
The district mapping endorsed by the state Congress was defended with a theory on “Independent Legislature”, something that the Supreme Court rejected.
The Independent State Legislature strategy was pushed by supporters of former President Donald Trump, who also supported the initiative.
The opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts passed with a vote of six to three.
“State courts retain the authority to apply state constitutional restrictions when legislatures act under the power vested in them by the Election Clause,” Judge Roberts wrote.
The presiding judge added that state courts cannot fully rule on election laws that impact federal proceedings, something federal courts can.
“Federal courts … should not abandon their duty to exercise judicial review,” Roberts said. “When state legislatures act pursuant to the authority of the Elections Clause, they participate in the making of laws subject to the typical restrictions on the exercise of such power.”
After losing in 2020, Trump and his allies defended electoral theory, arguing that state legislatures were allowed to nominate pro-Trump electors, even if legally certified election results required electors of now-President Joe Biden.
In this way, the plan was that the results of the presidential elections in a state could be annulled and, therefore, modify the final result of the Electoral College.
Roberts was joined by judges Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Former President Barack Obama immediately reacted to the Supreme Court’s decision, as this determination will have an impact on future proceedings.
“This ruling is a resounding rejection of the far-right theory that has been spread by election deniers and extremists seeking to undermine our democracy,” Obama said in a statement.
Source: La Opinion
