WASHINGTON, D.C. – Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) responds to the Supreme Court’s decision in Moore v. Harper, protecting state courts’ power to hold lawmakers accountable to state laws when it comes to elections.
The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision in the Moore v. Harper case that the North Carolina Supreme Court was within its authority to conclude the state’s map violated the state constitution by being a partisan gerrymander. Plaintiffs attempted to argue the “independent state legislature” theory, which postulates the Constitution of the United States authorizes state legislatures to have the final say on state law, allowing the legislature to regulate federal elections within a state without any checks and balances from state courts, governors, or other bodies with legislative power. Today’s decision rejects this extreme theory.
“Congressional maps should empower voters, not politicians. Additionally, branches of government should run on checks and balances, not unilateral decree. We are thankful the U.S. Supreme Court agrees and rejected the radical independent state legislature theory that threatened to roll back our democracy,” said Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote.
“While democracy won today, we are not out of the woods yet. State legislatures across the country continue to attack voting rights, bad actors continue to circulate conspiracy theories about our elections systems, and gerrymandering continues to persist nationwide. Our mission to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders relies on our democracy working well. We must continue to advocate for state and federal legislation that protects, strengthens, and expands our democracy.”
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About APIAVote: Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen and sustain a culture of civic engagement.See our website for more information at https://www.apiavote.org/
