RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s highest court has decided it won’t fast-track appeals of results in two lawsuits initiated by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper that challenged new laws that eroded his power to choose members of several boards and commissions.

The state Supreme Court, in orders released Friday, denied the requests from Republican legislative leaders sued by Cooper to hear the cases without waiting for the intermediate-level Court of Appeals to consider and rule first on arguments. The one-sentence rulings don’t say how individual justices came down on the petitions seeking to bypass the cases to the Supreme Court. Cooper’s lawyers had asked the court not to grant the requests.

The decisions could lengthen the process that leads to final rulings on whether the board alterations enacted by the GOP-controlled General Assembly in late 2023 over Cooper’s vetoes are permitted or prevented by the state constitution. The state Supreme Court may want to review the cases even after the Court of Appeals weighs in. No dates have been set for oral arguments at the Court of Appeals, and briefs are still being filed.

One lawsuit challenges a law that transfers the governor’s powers to choose state and local election board members to the General Assembly and its leaders. A three-judge panel of trial lawyers in March struck down election board changes, saying they interfere with a governor’s ability to ensure elections and voting laws are “faithfully executed.”

The election board changes, which were blocked, were supposed to have taken place last January. That has meant the current election board system has remained in place — the governor chooses all five state board members, for example, with Democrats holding three of them.

Even before Friday’s rulings, the legal process made it highly unlikely the amended board composition passed by Republicans would have been implemented this election cycle in the presidential battleground state. Still, Cooper’s lawyers wrote the state Supreme Court saying that bypassing the Court of Appeals risked “substantial harm to the ongoing administration of the 2024 elections.”

In the other lawsuit, Cooper sued to block the composition of several boards and commissions, saying each prevented him from having enough control to carry out state laws. While a separate three-judge panel blocked new membership formats for two state boards that approve transportation policy and spending and select economic incentive recipients, the new makeup of five other commissions remained intact.

Also Friday, a majority of justices rejected Cooper’s requests that Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr. be recused from participating in hearing the two cases. Cooper cited that the judge’s father is Senate leader Phil Berger, who is a defendant in both lawsuits along with House Speaker Tim Moore. In June, the younger Berger, a registered Republican, asked the rest of the court to rule on the recusal motions, as the court allows.

A majority of justices — the other four registered Republicans — backed an order saying they didn’t believe the judicial conduct code barred Justice Berger’s participation. The older Berger is a party in the litigation solely in his official capacity as Senate leader, and state law requires the person in Berger’s position to become a defendant in lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of state laws, the order said.

The court’s two registered Democrats — Associate Justices Allison Riggs and Anita Earls — said that the younger Berger should have recused himself. In dissenting opinions, Riggs wrote that the code’s plain language required his recusal because of their familial connection.

• First NWSL telecast on ESPN platforms in post-Paris 2024 matches featuring Olympians
• Megan Rapinoe’s jersey retirement, exclusively on ESPN+
• Futbol W with Ali Krieger and Alexis Nunes to air three 30-minute postgame shows live

The NWSL on ESPN platforms returns after the Paris Olympics 2024 break, during which 27 or so NWSL players earned winners’ medals—gold, silver, and bronze—for the final stretch of nine regular season matches across ESPN linear television and digital platforms. Led by the U.S. Women’s National Team Gold-winning players at Paris 2024, seven who featured on Brazil’s Silver-winning squad, and two who won Bronze with Germany, the NWSL had more than 55 players who represented 11 of the 12 national teams in the 2024 Olympics.

Sunday at 10 p.m. ET, the Seattle Reign-North Carolina Courage match will kick off the post-Olympics resumption of NWSL on ESPN platforms, live from Seattle’s Lumen Field on ESPN2, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes. The match will showcase six Olympians – Seattle’s Jordyn Huitema and Quinn (Canada), hosting Australia’s Cortnee Vine, Brazil’s Kerolin, Germany’s Feli Rauch, and USA’s Casey Murphy. Commentators Jenn Hildreth, Lianne Sanderson (English), Cristina Alexander, and Natalia Astrain (Spanish) will call the match.

Leading up to kickoff, ESPN+ will stream the Megan Rapinoe Jersey Retirement Ceremony live, beginning at 9:40 p.m. During the event at Lumen Field, Seattle Reign will honor Rapinoe’s career by retiring the soccer legend’s iconic number 15 jersey. Rapinoe becomes the first player in the team’s history to have their jersey retired.

A post-game edition of Futbol W with Ali Krieger and Alexis Nunes, the weekly studio program covering professional women’s soccer, will stream live on ESPN+, simulcast on ESPN2. Sunday’s Football W will be the first of three 30-minute postgame specials that will wrap the upcoming three NWSL on ESPN matches and look ahead to the post-Olympics season.

Top players from the USA-Brazil “Gold Medal Game” expected to feature across ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes for the rest of the season will include U.S. Women’s National Team’s “Triple Espresso” – Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), and Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle(NJ/NY Gotham FC), goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), and more. Brazil’s silver medalists include Marta, Adriana, Rafaelle, and Angelina (Orlando Pride), Ludmilla (Chicago Red Stars), Kerolin (North Carolina Courage), and Tarciane (Houston Dash).

Post-Paris 2024 Olympics NWSL on ESPN Platforms Matches:

* Subject to Change

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A North Carolina woman, Susan Hogarth, has filed a lawsuit against the state elections board challenging the constitutionality of laws that prohibit photography in polling places. The suit, filed in US Eastern District Court, stems from a March incident where Hogarth posted a selfie with her ballot on X. The North Carolina State Board of Elections subsequently requested she remove the post, citing potential legal penalties.

Hogarth argues these laws infringe on her First Amendment rights. She insists voters should freely share their voting choices without facing punitive actions. The North Carolina law bans most polling place photography unless approved by precinct officials and prohibits photographing completed ballots to prevent potential misuse in vote-buying schemes.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) supports Hogarth, asserting that ballot selfies constitute protected political speech. FIRE attorney Jeff Zeman emphasized, “Ballot selfie bans turn innocent Americans into criminals for nothing more than showing their excitement about how they voted, or even just showing that they voted.” Hogarth is also a Libertarian Party candidate for a state legislative seat and says she plans to promote her own campaign with another ballot selfie.

Word count: 194 words (This story was generated by Newser’s AI chatbot. Source: the AP)