North Carolina Republicans Attempt to Infuse Partisan Politics into Redraw Process with Proposed Special Master
North Carolina Republicans Attempt to Infuse Partisan Politics into Redraw Process with Proposed Special Master
Washington, D.C. — With the support of the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF), North Carolina voters have submitted a response in opposition to the Republican legislative defendants’ proposed special master, John Morgan, a known Republican political operative who has a long history of drawing Republican gerrymanders across the country, including in North Carolina. In their submission, plaintiffs in Harper v. Hall renewed their call for the appointment of an impartial, nonpartisan expert to serve as special master as is traditional when the courts oversee remedial map drawing processes.
Morgan, a self-described “Republican demographer,” is the president of Applied Research Coordinates, which was advertised as “the top Republican map drawing firm” in a bid to Michigan’s Independent Redistricting Commission last year. Although that role was disclosed to the court, the legislative defendants failed to disclose other important, relevant information in Morgan’s resume. This includes the fact that Morgan recently worked as a consultant in support of the lead Ohio Republican map drawer who drew multiple maps that were struck down last month by the Ohio Supreme Court as partisan gerrymanders.
“Special masters play a crucial role as neutral advisors to the court to ensure that, in the end, lawful maps are enacted,” said Marina Jenkins, Director of Litigation and Policy for the NRF. “It should not be lost on the public that, following a court order striking down their gerrymandered maps, Republicans are still arrogantly attempting to infuse partisan politics into the redraw process. By endorsing a political hack who has drawn some of the worst gerrymanders in the nation to help redraw maps that have been struck down for just that, the Legislative Defendants have made it clear that they are not taking the court’s order seriously. The people of North Carolina deserve — and the state's highest court has demanded— maps that put all North Carolinians on equal footing. Mr. Morgan cannot be trusted to do that job.”
Click here to read the motion and supporting exhibits.
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Contact: Brooke Lillard | Lillard@redistrictingfoundation.org