NC court once again blocks law stripping Cooper of election powers

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina’s Supreme Court has again blocked a law that would strip new Gov. Roy Cooper of gubernatorial powers to oversee elections.

The high court on Monday stepped into the ongoing fight over the law approved by Republican lawmakers two weeks before the Democratic governor took office. A lower appeals court briefly allowed the law to take effect, allowing a revamped state elections board to meet for the first time Friday.

It’s one of the changes passed in late December that shift power over running elections away from governors.

The law stops Democrats from holding majorities on all state and county elections panels and evenly divides the slots between major-party partisans. Republicans would control elections during even-numbered years, when big races for president, legislature or other major statewide offices are held.

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2/13/2017 6:12:50 PM (GMT -5:00)