The tactics the Republican officials put in place include a voter ID law that specifically targeted Black voters, and gerrymandering – meaning state lines were strategically redrawn to ensure the Democratic votes ultimately did not matter.
Both verdicts were fully supported by four Democratic justices, and voted against by three Republican justices.
For the gerrymandering verdict, Justice Robin Hudson wrote, “the foundational democratic principles of equality and popular sovereignty enshrined in our Constitution’s Declaration of Rights vest in the people of this state the fundamental right to vote on equal terms.” She added “it deprives a voter of his or her fundamental right to equal voting power” when lines are drawn to skew election outcomes.