Carolina Journal is reporting that the N.C. Supreme Court will rehear two election-related cases on back-to-back days next month. The court’s official calendar sets a March 14 hearing date for the Harper v. Hall redistricting case. Justices will take up the Holmes v. Moore voter ID case March 15. The state’s highest court announced one week ago that it had granted state legislative leaders’ request to rehear both cases. Justices voted 5-2 for both rehearings, with Republican justices voting yes and Democratic justices voting no.
In Holmes v. Moore, the state Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on Dec. 16 to strike down North Carolina’s 2018 law mandating photo voter identification. The court’s Democrats outvoted Republicans in ruling that the law discriminated against minority voters. In a Feb. 3 order signed by new Justice Trey Allen, the court ruled that state legislative leaders’ petition for rehearing “satisfies the criteria” set out in court rules. Legislative leaders must file any additional documents in the case by Feb. 17. Voter ID critics can respond by March 3.