For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Contact:
Nazneen Ahmed (919) 716-0060
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein and Governor Roy Cooper filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Pierce v. North Carolina State Board of Elections. The case is currently being appealed to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs are asking the appeals court to overturn a district court’s ruling that new State Senate districts in northeastern North Carolina can be used in the 2024 elections. The plaintiffs argue that the districts violate the Voting Rights Act.
“We cannot carry forward our state’s harmful legacy of discriminating against Black voters and denying them their political power,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “The Voting Rights Act protects voters, and I’m going to do everything in my power to see that it is properly enforced. We need the court to right this wrong now.”
“Legislative Republicans time after time continue to illegally discriminate to hold on to power,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Their new voting maps violate the Voting Rights Act and do not reflect the true will of North Carolinians. It’s time for the courts to step in once again.”
The professional lawyers of the North Carolina Department of Justice are representing the State Board of Elections and its members in this case. Attorney General Stein has recused himself from representing any parties in this case.
A copy of the brief is available here.
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