South Carolina asks to hold election on current congressional map
Source: Roll Call
Posted March 20, 2024 at 3:14pm
South Carolinas Republican legislature asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to allow the state to hold the 2024 elections on its existing congressional map, arguing an ongoing legal challenge has gone unresolved too close to imminent election deadlines.
The legislature told the justices in a filing that the state should be allowed to proceed under its existing map, despite a lower court ruling it could not be used because it likely violated the Constitutions protections against racial discrimination.
The states candidate filing process was already scheduled to begin and the current pause invited chaos and uncertainty into South Carolinas Congressional elections, the filing said. The filing is separate from the pending Supreme Court case over the states map, on which the justices heard oral arguments in the fall but have yet to issue an opinion.
State lawmakers originally asked the court to decide that case before the end of December. The state currently has its primary scheduled for June 11. The Supreme Court normally decides cases by the conclusion of the term at the end of June. Even if the court were to decide that case Wednesday, the legislators said, there would not be enough time to implement a new map before the primary election.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2024/03/20/south-carolina-asks-to-hold-election-on-current-congressional-map/