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North Carolina Asks U.S. Supreme Court For Redistricting Delay

North Carolina is taking its request to delay redrawing district maps to the U.S. Supreme Court. The state is arguing that voting in next month's primary elections is already underway.

Attorneys for the State of North Carolina want the Supreme Court to step in and stop the enforcement of a lower court decision directing new congressional districts to be drawn by Feb. 19.

Legislative leaders said late Tuesday they're asking Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a stay. The request was made soon after the court that struck down the 1st and 12th Congressional District lines refused to change its original order. A three-judge panel last Friday decided the majority black districts were racial gerrymanders and can't be used anymore.

The emergency request from the state says a delay is needed because there's not enough time to redraw districts. Lawmakers argue that absentee balloting is already under way for the March 15 primary.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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