REDISTRICTING TIME AGAIN.

• Author: Campbell, Colin
• Position: NC TREND: Public affairs

Redistricting is back in the news thanks to a comment from N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore that the legislature might hold a December session to redraw congressional maps.

Moore floated the possibility in a conversation with WRAL News, but so far there's no indication the Senate is eager to spend the Christmas season in Raleigh looking at maps.

A December redistricting session would make a lot of sense if Democrats manage to take the majority in one or both chambers. But barring major changes in the national political landscape, Republicans are expected to expand their numbers.

If the 2023 legislative balance of power is unchanged, it might be just as easy to wait until the new year to tackle redistricting. But if lawmakers are indeed in a hurry to get the job done, it's likely because the inevitable lawsuits can take months (if not years) to resolve, and they want a final court ruling before candidate filing would begin in December 2023.

Senate leader Phil Berger cited that as a possible reason to get a head start. Moore told me he feels strongly that the current legislature that was...