SC Founding Father’s Constitution controversy swirls in key Supreme Court case

By Alexander Thompson athompson [at] postandcourier.com

On May 29, 1787, Charles Pinckney, one of South Carolina’s most famous Founding Fathers, stood up at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and laid out his bold plan for a strong federal government.

That plan is still being cited today, most recently in a high-stakes Supreme Court case about a once-fringe legal concept called Independent State Legislature Theory that has the potential to hand state legislatures sweeping power over federal elections.

But the thing that’s not so sure about that day in 1787? What Pinckney’s plan actually said...

A group of Democratic North Carolina voters and advocacy groups who are opposing the North Carolina legislators in Moore v. Harper argue the elections clause does not free state legislatures from the usual checks and balances in state constitutions when they make election rules.

Doing so, critics argue, could lead to extreme partisan gerrymandering and the rollback of voting rights.

“Having a state that is already very heavy on legislative power become even more so with respect to the most crucial aspect of our democracy. ... We believe this would be catastrophic is South Carolina,” said Lynn Teague, the vice president for issues and action at the South Carolina League of Women Voters.

Read the full article at the link above.