WTAS: “OH, NC state Supreme Court wins will have significant impact on future redistricting battles.”

“Republicans will hold the keys to redistricting 29 congressional seats in Ohio and North Carolina with GOP judges holding majorities for both states’ high courts.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Republican State Leadership Committee’s Judicial Fairness Initiative (JFI) in February announced a plan to push back on Eric Holder’s sue until it's blue gerrymandering scheme by spending record resources in state Supreme Court races in key states where judges could play a role in redistricting within this decade. With results from all key states across the country finalized, it’s clear this effort was a tremendous success. Clean sweeps for Republicans in North Carolina and Ohio ensure that the redistricting fights ahead in those states are ruled on by strong conservatives who will follow the Constitution and don’t believe it’s their role to draw maps from the bench. Brian Zahra’s victory in Michigan gives Republicans the opportunity to flip control of the Court by 2026.

Here is some of what they’re saying about the implications of last week’s results in state Supreme Court races.

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Associated Press: “Republicans have claimed key victories in state Supreme Court races that will give them an advantage in major redistricting fights…One of the biggest players was the Republican State Leadership Committee, which focused heavily on the court races in North Carolina and Ohio.”

Bloomberg Law: “Republicans will hold the keys to redistricting 29 congressional seats in Ohio and North Carolina with GOP judges holding majorities for both states’ high courts.”

Reuters: “The outcome of state supreme court races in Tuesday's midterm elections could have profound consequences for control of the U.S. Congress in the future” 

Pluribus News: “Republicans secured the state Supreme Court majorities in North Carolina and Ohio on Tuesday in races that could decide which party controls Congress over the next decade. The GOP picked up two Democratic-held seats in North Carolina to claim a 5-2 majority. In Ohio, Republicans held on to all three seats to maintain a 4-3 edge.  The high courts in both states rejected Republican-drawn maps ahead of the 2022 elections. Both states are set to redraw their congressional maps again over the next few years, and holding a state Supreme Court majority could make it easier for GOP lawmakers to craft preferable lines.” 

NBC News: “Republicans were victorious in North Carolina, claiming the two open seats on the state Supreme Court and flipping its makeup to a 5-2 Republican majority — clinching power for the first time in six years. The switch is certain to factor into major legal battles in the coming years over issues such as redistricting”

Wall Street Journal: “Republicans flipped two seats on North Carolina’s Supreme Court in Tuesday’s midterm elections, giving the party control of a court that is poised to decide key cases about voting maps”

Sabato’s Crystal Ball’s Kyle Kondik: “Rs got their Supreme Court victories in OH and NC. Likely has consequences for redistricting next year -- Ds had a good night in each state for House but worse maps may be on horizon as Rs build defenses to protect what looks like a fairly small majority” 

Fox News’ Guy Benson: “OH, NC state Supreme Court wins will have significant impact on future redistricting battles.”

Bolts’ Magazines’ Daniel Nichanian: “Huge win for the GOP: They've flipped the North Carolina supreme court. This will have huge implications for redistricting and civil rights cases going forward.”

Raleigh News & Observer: “North Carolina evenly split its U.S. House delegation in Tuesday’s midterm election, with Democrats and Republicans each winning seven of the 14 seats up for grabs. But with Republicans flipping control of the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, it’s highly likely state lawmakers will be allowed to redraw the maps next year in a way that more aggressively favors Republican candidates for elections throughout the rest of the decade.”

WRAL News: “The court’s role in ruling on legislative and congressional lines is also expected to come into focus. When a new state congressional district map is drawn, the state Supreme Court’s makeup could determine how evenly North Carolinians are represented politically…If challenges to new voting districts drawn by the state's Republican-controlled legislature reach the state Supreme Court, a more deferential group of justices could allow for a disproportionate share of Republican representation in the U.S. House.”

Smoky Mountain News: “Coming into the election, Democrats maintained a 4-3 advantage on the court, but with those losses, Republicans now hold a 5-2 advantage…the court will likely hear challenges to the next round of election maps prior to the 2024 races. With the Republican wins, that party is guaranteed a majority on the court until 2028.” 

Columbus Dispatch: “Ohio Republicans won all three state supreme court races on Tuesday, which will extend the GOP's 36-year streak of holding a majority on the court and likely influence future decisions on redistricting.” 

Cleveland Plain Dealer: “The political balance of the Ohio Supreme Court will remain with Republicans, with incumbent GOP Justices Patrick Fischer and Pat DeWine holding leads late Tuesday night, and voters poised to hand Justice Sharon Kennedy the chief justice’s gavel.”

WOSU-Ohio: “Republicans won all three seats up for grabs on the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday and will maintain control of the state’s highest court.”

CBS 13: “Ohio voted to keep its Republican state officials and, for the first time, elect a chief justice identified as Republican on the ballot.”

The Detroit News: “Zahra has been a Supreme Court justice since January 2011, when he was appointed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder. He also served on the Michigan Court of Appeals for 12 years and the Wayne County Circuit Court for four years. He is co-chair of the Justice For All Commission, which works to improve access to the civil justice system and provides attorneys to people who cannot afford an attorney in civil cases.” 

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