North Carolina judges block elections board changes pushed by Republicans that weaken governor

By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina trial judges have struck down portions of a new law that would have changed how election board members are chosen. The decision Monday from the three-judge panel handed a significant setback to legislative Republicans seeking to wrest those decisions from the governor. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper had sued over the law after the GOP-controlled General Assembly overrode Cooper’s veto of the measure. These judges had already temporarily blocked the changes in November while Cooper’s lawsuit was heard. Republican legislators can appeal the decision. They say the alterations will promote bipartisan decision-making over election policy.