As maps fall, GOP tries to neutralize state supreme courts

In most midterm election years, races for state supreme court seats are overshadowed by campaigns for governor or the Senate. But some Republicans say the party’s priorities need to change. The GOP’s focus on the makeup of state supreme courts escalated this week after a series of legal setbacks frustrated the party’s effort to redraw congressional maps in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. That prompted some leading Republicans to press the party to pay more attention to November elections in which some supreme court justices will face voters. The GOP Friday also asked the Supreme Court to stop state courts from redrawing their congressional maps.