A THIRD LAWSUIT FILED
AGAINST GOP VOTING MAPS
CLAIMING RACIAL BIAS
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
A third lawsuit seeking to stop the redistricting voting maps passed by the Republican-led legislature in October has now been filed in federal court, but this one comes with a twist.
Even though, like the previous two complaints, this third suit claims the voting maps are drawn as illegal racial gerrymanders that violate the rights of black voters and weakens their influence, it also targets all three maps drawn for the state house, state senate, and congressional districts.
In the first suit, 18 black and Latino plaintiffs challenged the 1st, 6th, 12th and 14th Congressional Districts.
In the second lawsuit, two black plaintiffs challenged the state senate maps as undermining the voting interests of African-Americans by preventing them from voting for their preferred candidates.
NAACP NC, Common Cause NC , and eight African-American North Carolinians are the plaintiffs pressing the case in the third complaint. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the global law firm of Hogan Lovelis are representing.
According to a press release by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, this third lawsuit alleges:
• Unconstitutional intentional discrimination against Black voters in the Senate, House, and Congressional maps;
- Vote dilution in violation of the Voting Rights Act in North Carolina’s Black Belt in both the Senate and House maps;
- Intentional vote dilution of Black electoral power in Congressional Districts 1, 5, 6, and 10;
- Racial gerrymandering in Senate Districts 7 and 8;
- Violation of one-person, one-vote in the Senate and House maps
“The General Assembly targeted predominantly Black voting precincts with surgical precision throughout the state in drawing and enacting the 2023 Plans, at the expense of traditional redistricting criteria, to achieve preferred district lines that diminish Black voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice at all levels of government,” the lawsuit claims.
Legislators imposed these discriminatory districts in an intentionally rushed and deficient process that denied the opportunity for meaningful engagement to minority representatives and citizens, and showed clear disregard for the interests, needs, and desires of North Carolina’s Black voters. This process was calibrated to frustrate judicial review of the maps before the 2024 election.
The plaintiffs want the all three voting district maps thrown out, saying that the new districts violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution.
“We are honored and privileged to represent the North Carolina NAACP, Common Cause, and impacted voters to demand lawful voting plans in North Carolina,” said Hilary Harris Klein, Senior Voting Rights Counsel at Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “The law clearly protects North Carolina’s Black voters. And yet, instead of responding to their needs, legislators are again targeting these communities for their own partisan gain."
“Ahead of the 2024 Elections, NAACP is working tirelessly to ensure that every American has the opportunity to cast an effective ballot. These discriminatory maps are a clear attack on those efforts,” said Dominik Whitehead, Vice President of Campaigns at NAACP. “We are proud to stand alongside our North Carolina State Conference and fellow advocates as we fight back against any attempt to silence Black voices. This is just the beginning.”
"Lawmakers know what they are doing. They are eroding the power of Black voters – power that was fought for over decades of violent discrimination and suffering,” said Deborah Maxwell, President of the NAACP North Carolina Conference. “Today, the NAACP stands defiant and proud with its partners, knowing that the will of the people cannot be defeated by the racist tactics of a few politicians."
“North Carolina legislators have imposed discriminatory voting maps that outrageously attack the rights of Black North Carolinians. Sadly, racist gerrymandering once again plagues our state and harms voters. We must defeat it,” said Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina. “Our voting districts don’t belong to politicians; our districts belong to the people. We must have voting maps that are free from racist gerrymandering and that respect the freedom of all voters.”
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TRUMP SAYS ROBINSON
“SPEAKS BETTER" THAN DR. KING
by Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
As expected, and a day before the filing deadline, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson filed as a candidate for NC governor in the 2024 elections.
He joined other gubernatorial candidates Republicans Bill Graham and Dale Folwell, and Democratic frontrunner Josh Stein and Mike Morgan.
And, as always, Robinson could not escape controversy.
Earlier in the week, during a fundraiser at former Pres. Donald Trump’s Mar-a-lago resort in Florida, Robinson formally got Trump’s endorsement, along with an apparently unwanted compliment from the criminally accused ex-president.
“I swear I think you're better than Dr. Martin Luther King,” Trump told Robinson onstage before an audience. “And I wasn't sure if he was happy about that. Dr. Martin Luther King was great. And I think he didn't like that comparison but he accepted it. But [Robinson] gives some speeches that were so incredible.”
But Trump wasn’t finished.
“He's going to go down as one of the great leaders in our country — one of the greatest leaders. He's outstanding in presentation, but he's probably even more outstanding in heart and the understanding of people and what you need and getting things done.”
Even though Robinson later dismissed Trump’s compliment before reporters, there were some who believed given the black Republican’s documented negative remarks about the 60’s civil rights movement , the last thing anyone should do is compare him favorably to an icon of the struggle.
“Former President Donald Trump made a mockery of the life, sacrifices and achievements of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., in his misdirected statement about North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson,” opined a stinging Capitol Broadcasting Company editorial.
“There is little reflective of King in Robinson, other than some shared outward appearance, the editorial continued. King spoke of love and respect for all people. Robinson spews hate and divisiveness.”
“King was a disciple of nonviolence and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“Robinson is a bully who promotes weapons of violence and death.”
“King dreamed of better lives for ALL.”
“Robinson” selfish rhetoric merely seeks to uplift himself and punish those who might see otherwise.”
“It’s bad enough Donald Trump endorsed and campaigned alongside Mark Robinson, a notorious extremist who disparaged the Black community and trashed the Civil Rights Movement,” wrote DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika, “but now he’s bringing him back out on the campaign trail.
"When Trump said that Robinson – a man who claims the Civil Rights Movement was a shadowy subplot to ‘subvert capitalism’ that made Black Americans worse off – is ‘better than Dr. Martin Luther King,’ he insulted and disrespected generations of Black Americans who have fought tirelessly for their rights.”
In a column for the online magazine The Root.com, writer Jessica Washington wrote. “During a podcast interview in 2018, Robinson said the Civil Rights Movement was a “communist plot to subvert capitalism.” He added, “so many freedoms were lost during the Civil Rights Movement that shouldn’t have been lost.” So he’s not exactly a fan of Dr. King’s work.”
Washington then added, “Facebook posts from an account that appears to belong to North Carolina Lt. Gov. also suggest that Robinson just might have a problem with his own people.”
“Someone asked me if I considered myself part of the ‘African-American’ community. I told them NO!” reads the Facebook post. “They asked me why and I said, ‘Why would I want to be part of a “community” that devalues it’s fathers, overburdens it’s mothers, and murders its children by the millions? Why would I want to be part of a “community” that sucks from the putrid tit of the government and then complains about getting sour milk?”
Washington reported that the post and Robinson’s comments on the podcast were first reported by WUNC North Carolina Public Radio.
The Advocate, an online newspaper, reported that “Donald Trump Calls Republican Antigay Bigot Mr. Robinson ‘Better’ that MLK.”
Given his tremendous lead in the polls, Robinson’s decided why risk it, so he’s refused to debate his Republican primary opponents, Graham and Folwell. Critics like Republican Sen. Thom Tillis say Robinson knows little about government or business, thus the reason why he’s playing safe with a 34% polling lead.
The March 5th GOP primary commences in just over two months.
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