Eric Holder Statement on the North Carolina Supreme Court
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Brooke Lillard
lillard@redistrictingfoundation.org
Eric Holder Statement on the North Carolina Supreme Court
Washington, D.C.— On Friday night, the newly-sworn-in Republican majority of the North Carolina Supreme Court announced it will reconsider 2022 North Carolina Supreme Court decisions in Harper v. Hall, the state court case that struck down the legislature’s gerrymandered congressional and state senate maps.
Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, issued the following statement in response to the North Carolina Supreme Court’s agreement to reconsider the landmark decision:
“This decision underscores the craven nature of too many North Carolina Republicans. Judges are not – and should not – be political actors once they are elected. It is their duty to serve independently - without political favor. Yet, the newly-elected Republican majority of the North Carolina Supreme Court is apparently preparing to reverse decisions made by their own court just months ago. This is not a function of legal principle – it is an indication of political opportunism.
“Make no mistake, North Carolina Republicans are conducting a multifaceted, contradictory attack against the independence of state courts by using the highest tribunal in their state and the highest tribunal in our nation to achieve the same goal: to allow a gerrymandered legislature to act with impunity. If the Republican majority decides to reverse a decision of its own court made only months ago, it will be an action that is so plainly political and so grossly at odds with precedent, that it will irreparably damage the legitimacy and reputation of North Carolina’s highest court.”
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