A North Carolina court ruled on Wednesday to reject a Republican-backed law that sought to transfer the governor’s authority to appoint members of the State Board of Elections to the state auditor. The judges declared the law unconstitutional.
In a ruling from a three-judge panel, one Republican judge and one Democratic judge sided with Democratic Governor Josh Stein, who had filed a lawsuit against the law, which was passed by the GOP-controlled General Assembly in December. The third judge, a Republican, dissented.
Under the current law, the governor appoints the five members of the board, three of whom are traditionally from the governor’s party, with candidates nominated by the two major political parties. The law in question would have handed appointment power to newly elected GOP state auditor Dave Boliek starting May 1, which many expected would result in a Republican-majority board.
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