A unanimous three-judge North Carolina Superior Court panel on Tuesday reaffirmed its decision to dismiss Gov. Roy Cooper’s lawsuit attempting to block a bipartisan state elections and ethics enforcement board law from taking effect.

The panel found the law constitutional based on a review of its merits, but declined to weigh in on the political dispute created by the governor, saying, “…this Court’s duty is to determine whether the General Assembly has complied with the Constitution. If constitutional requirements are met, the wisdom of the legislation is a question for the General Assembly.”

Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) issued the following joint statement in response:

“We appreciate the court’s thoughtful and well-reasoned decision rejecting Roy Cooper’s attempts to drag his political battles into the courtroom, and we encourage him to abandon taxpayer-funded lawsuits and follow the bipartisan elections and ethics board law.”