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Federal Judge Catherine Eagles granted an injunction this afternoon sought by the city of Greensboro to halt a new election law, according to Mayor Nancy Vaughan.
Vaughan confirmed this afternoon that Eagles’ decision means that the existing city council structure will stay in tact for the fall 2015 Greensboro City Council election. Filing is scheduled to begin Monday.
The new law, proposed by Republican state Sen. Trudy Wade of Greensboro, would radically alter the election process, composition of city council, term lengths and power of the mayor. Read more here.
Eagles said the law would treat Greensboro voters differently than others as she granted the preliminary injunction and said “the plaintiffs are likely to prevail on the merits,” referring to the city.
“The plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm should the 2015 election go forward under the new law, and the public interest and the equities favor a return to the pre-existing status quo pending resolution of this lawsuit,” she wrote. “The court will grant the plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction.”
The city council voted 7-1, with Tony Wilkins dissenting, to sue over the law, which passed the state General Assembly after arm-twisting by Republican lawmakers. The case will still be heard at a later date.
Check back soon for details. This story is developing.
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