High court won’t rule on partisan districts

U.S. SUPREME COURT building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday again declined to rule on whether it’s constitutional for state legislatures to create districts for partisan advantage.

USA Today reported that the justices sent a lawsuit over 13 congressional districts in North Carolina back to a federal district court for further study.

The court declined to rule in two other cases of “gerrymandering” last week in Wisconsin and Maryland.

Also on Monday, the court ruled 5-4 in favor of a Texas districting plan that have earlier been ruled discriminatory based on race.

In all those cases, the court split on partisan lines, with justices appointed by Republican presidents in the majority and those appointed by Democratic presidents in the minority.