A panel of federal judges declined on Wednesday to block North Carolina's new congressional map, which is intended to favor Republican candidates, from taking effect ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The decision was issued in a unanimous 57-page order by three judges, all of whom were appointed by Republican presidents, the News & Observer reports. The judges concluded that the plaintiffs' claims raised political questions outside the jurisdiction of the courts. Any appeal of this decision would be directed straight to the US Supreme Court, which recently sided with Texas Republicans in a separate redistricting case.
The legal challenge was brought by advocacy groups that argued that the map unfairly targeted voters in the state's northeast in retaliation for electing a Democrat in 2024. The plaintiffs also asserted that the map amounted to a racial gerrymander, lowering the influence of Black voters in North Carolina's 1st Congressional District, an area with a significant Black population historically. The court said it found insufficient evidence to support claims of discriminatory intent, stating that partisanship, rather than race, appeared to be the primary motivation behind the redistricting.
North Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature redrew districts in October as part of President Trump's push to help the party keep control of the US House after next year's midterms. As constituted, the redistricting appears likely to deliver the GOP another seat, per the New York Times. Republicans hold 10 of the state's 14 House seats now, per the AP, after a redrawing in 2023. They say the latest map is intended to reflect North Carolina's support for Trump, pointing out that the state voted for him in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. Ohio and Missouri have approved GOP-leaning maps since North Carolina's legislature did.
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