Carolina Journal’s Lindsay Marchello reports on the August 27th federal court ruling throwing out N.C. congressional maps, adding new complications to the election schedule.

Over the course of 321 pages, a three-judge panel raised the prospect that state lawmakers might be forced to redraw congressional maps in the next few weeks. Judges also suggested that new congressional maps may force a primary on Nov. 6 — election day for every other state and local race — and a special election for the state’s 13 congressional districts in January 2019.

David McLennan, a professor of political science at Meredith College, offered several likely alternatives from the ruling: The legislature redraws the maps and submits them to the judges for approval; a court-appointed special master redraws the maps; or Republican leaders ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.

Not long after McLennan spoke to Carolina Journal, GOP lawmakers formally asked the federal justices to step in.

“What the court suggests is simply impossible. I’m not aware of any other time in the history of our country that a state’s Congressional delegation could not be seated, and the result would be unmitigated chaos and irreparable voter confusion. The Supreme Court must step in to correct this disastrous decision,” Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said in a joint statement with House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland.

Read more here.