From my Indy Week link (better than N&O one at time of posting), the Judge Collins made two points:
1 - whole legislature is not invalid, but “enough” is invalid that any action requiring more than the invalid margin may be invalid *
2 - the judicial branch is the correct check on the legislative branch
He cited a US supreme case for 1 (I’m guessing the Common Cause gerrymander merged with League case).
* This opens the door for challenge on the other state constitutional amendments not included in this case (I’m sure someone is scrambling to file ASAP!) This judge was particular on who may have standing for filing to challenge each amendment.
* This also opens the door for challenging any decision made by the legislature, after the US supreme court hearing, which requires a super majority. The constitutional changes are just the tip of the iceberg there. The Republicans have used their super majority status (until the very last election) to override many vetoes, and do other structural changes. So I’m also sure lawyers are now combing through those to see if any were done in the same window and if they can find a group with standing to sue.
* Seem to remember the legislature pulling funds from the AGs office since they didn’t trust the AGs office to defend them (as previously noted is in Dem hands) and they needed the money to hire lawyers to handle all the lawsuits already against them. They are going to need even more money now.
* This line of reasoning may get overturned, but the discussion being had is good. Just in time for a push here to get the next amendment to be against gerrymandering. Ha!
That help?
Oh, even better, on another local blog found the ruling pdf:
So, is the state government of North Carolina in bad enough shape that it could be regarded as not being a republic? If so, then the Federal government has a responsibility to take control of the state.
I legit laughed so hard that I have a little coffee in my nose. Thanks for the funny this morning, Clay.
Semi-serious for a second. North Carolina’s population about exactly doubles that of South Carolina. Within the US, it’s known there are more guns than people, but also that 42% of people live in homes with guns. So, roughly, NC has more people that have access to a gun than the entire population of South Carolina, non-gun owners included.
South Carolina is also about 3/5 the land area of North Carolina but not too far back from us in density. So they would have tougher areas to fight through. The eastern third of North Carolina is the least dense, so they could probably gain a foothold there, but it would leave them open to a counterattack from the west, and attacking anything in our western half would also incur issues due to more mountainous terrain and the massive amount of people in Charlotte bordering on the edge of the NC/SC border.
Okay I’m going to quit speculating since I’m probably already on a list at this point.
#NCwouldwin
EDIT: This reminds me of an old PC game where there was a modern civil war. I can’t think of the title?
That’s it. I had forgotten about the game so went and looked up the plot on Wikipedia. That plot is eerily topical these days.
Shattered Union is set in an alternate history version of the United States. In 2008, David Jefferson Adams has been elected as the 44th President of the United States following a disputed election and a tie vote in the Electoral College (and subsequent tie-breaker by the United States House of Representatives), becoming the most hated and unpopular president in U.S. history. A combination of foreign terrorist attacks and poor economic conditions contributes to civil unrest. As a result, rioting springs up all throughout the United States, resulting in domestic terrorism. In response, President Adams uses the Homeland Security Act and declares martial law on many areas of the country, but it is particularly concentrated in the West Coast.
I was curious how the thread went from being worried about certain folks votes being counted to making fun of what those same folks eat? (so confusing) The 9th should be vinegar. :)
I’ve attended “pig pickins” in outside Greenville SC and outside Greenville NC and it isn’t the tomato stuff. FYI the vinegar <-> mustard <-> blend/central NC style <-> sweet/sticky tomato sauce continuum is also often broken down by race/class, lower/native/black to the left, poor white to the middle, rich to the right. Just so you know why it is often considered more than a sauce choice to some here. ;) If you are “out in the sticks” at a BBQ place and don’t know what sauce won’t scream “rich city arse or non-local idiot HERE”, and can handle any type, simply ask for “the pitmaster’s specialty” to get whatever the locals consider the usual. Which varies! And now this Carolinian (both) with shut up about BBQ.
As for an (equally wha? how did we get here?) hypothetical SC/NC match up, remember that SC’s weapons are well-distributed with armories where you’d least expect them!
The Clemson armory, which isn’t in the Clemson agricultural complex old hog barn anymore (it was) but is now a nice solid building on the edge of town the non-college locals just call “the armory”. The big open building is used often for local stuff, so everyone knows where the armory is.
Looks like he’s out of the industry entirely now? That’s too bad. I liked what that studio produced and I enjoyed his Inside the Sausage Factory articles in CGM.
Yeah, I think he’s been out for quite awhile. His last post here was in 2017. I don’t know if he moved to the other place or just stopped coming around, though.
I really liked everything he did. Strategy games lost a great developer when he left.
