On the issue of legislative redistricting, North Carolina Democrats are on a long losing streak in the state and federal courts. The latest setback came Thursday, when a U.S. District Court panel denied a motion by Democrats to prevent elections under House and Senate districts imposed by a state judge. The panel said the Democrats should attempt to make their case in a federal court in North Carolina.

The Democrats should make no such attempt. They should quit while they’re behind, let primaries and general elections proceed, and live with the results. Too much government money, energy and time have been expended on kicking this dead political horse.

Superior Court Judge Knox Jenkins was wrong to rubber stamp a Republican redistricting plan, and the majority-Republican state Supreme Court was wrong to let Jenkins get away with it. But further appeals aren’t going to change those outcomes.