ORTH CAROLINA: BOARD DELAYS STATE PRIMARY The State Board of Elections voted to postpone the state's primary to July 20 from May 4, and the Democratic Party said it would instead hold county caucuses on April 17 to vote on presidential candidates. Under the May primary schedule, filing for candidates would have begun Monday, but the state is waiting for federal judges to approve district maps drawn by the Legislature. State courts declared previous maps unconstitutional, and in 2002 the state used maps drawn up by a judge.    Ariel Hart (NYT)

SOUTH CAROLINA: COURT UPHOLDS GOVERNOR'S GUARD POST The State Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Mark Sanford may keep his commission in the Air Force Reserve, to which he was appointed in 2002, a year before he became governor. Mr. Sanford, a Republican, said that if he were called to service abroad, "that goes with the territory." In a statement, he said he was "a husband and a father first, a governor second and a reservist third." He is a logistical officer in the Medical Service Corps. A Greenville man had filed suit, citing a provision in the state's Constitution that prohibits governors from holding any other office or commission, except in the militia. The court said "militia" encompassed the Air Force Reserve.   Ariel Hart (NYT)