The U.S. Supreme Court is currently involved in a consequential election case from North Carolina, with implications for the 2024 election. The case, Moore v. Harper, revolves around the “independent state legislature theory,” which emphasizes the authority of state legislatures in federal elections. Concerns exist about the lack of a timely resolution, raising questions about gerrymandering, election integrity, and public trust in federal elections.
Moore v. Harper is a consequential election case before the U.S. Supreme Court, focusing on the North Carolina Supreme Court’s authority over the state legislature’s gerrymandered congressional map. The outcome will have far-reaching consequences for future elections, North Carolina’s balance of power, and the dynamics between state legislatures, state courts, and the constitutional framework for federal elections.
Supporters argue that the theory aligns with a strict interpretation of the Constitution’s elections clause and grants states control over practices like mail-in voting during the pandemic. Additionally, the case’s implications include potential Republican gains in the U.S. House of Representatives through redrawing congressional lines, affecting the 2024 House races where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority since reclaiming control in 2022.
According to Conservative Brief:
Left-leaning election watchdog group Common Cause argued the Independent State Legislature theory “calls into question hundreds of state constitutional provisions” and that “the dispute over that theory must be resolved in time to prepare maps, ballots, and election rules well in advance of the 2024 elections.”
Common Cause argues that the theory “implicates fundamental questions of self-governance and our constitutional structure” and that the Independent State Legislature theory “has contributed to growing public doubt about the lawfulness and integrity of federal elections.”
Mostly conservative experts and organizations have said the outcome of the case is vitally important in the wake of the 2020 election when a number of state courts and governors signed off on changes to voting procedures due to the COVID pandemic.
Jason Snead of the Honest Elections Project previously told the Examiner that a ruling discounting the theory could “leave the door wide open to the Left’s anti-democracy campaign, which has saturated the courts with politicized lawsuits and introduced chaos to our elections.”
In a separate case, the North Carolina Supreme Court issued an explosive ruling last month allowing Republicans in the state to redraw congressional lines in a way that will heavily favor the GOP.
The ongoing election case before the U.S. Supreme Court involving North Carolina and the “independent state legislature theory” carries profound implications for the upcoming 2024 election. As the court deliberates on the extent of state legislatures’ authority in federal elections, concerns arise about the lack of a timely resolution, which raises questions about gerrymandering, election integrity, and public trust in the democratic process.
The case’s outcome will shape the electoral landscape, impact the House of Representatives balance of power, and have far-reaching ramifications for future elections and our democratic system.
