North Carolina federal court allows state to use new map of Congress drawn by Republicans this will help the GOP win another House seat next year. midterm elections.
A three-judge panel of the District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina unanimously rejected preliminary injunctive requests filed in a pair of lawsuits alleging the new map was intended to dilute the vote of black voters.
The judges found that the plaintiffs “provided no direct evidence” that the North Carolina Legislature adopted the map for purposes of racial discrimination.
“Instead, the direct evidence shows that the 2025 redistricting was motivated by partisan goals,” the commission said. wrote Wednesday in a 57-page review..
The decision comes after North Carolina's Republican-controlled Legislature last month approved a plan aimed at increasing the number of Republican seats in the House. The challengers in a pair of consolidated lawsuits asked the court to block the state from using the new boundaries of two congressional districts for next year's midterm elections.
The map is designed to flip North Carolina's 1st Congressional District, which President Donald Trump narrowly won in 2024. He is represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Republicans currently control 10 of the state's 14 congressional districts.
Trump has led a call for Republican-led legislatures to redraw congressional maps ahead of the midterm elections, when the GOP will defend a slim majority in the House. The move prompted some Democratic-led states, such as California, to develop their own maps.
Following Wednesday's ruling, state Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger said the map was intended to bolster Trump's agenda.
“As Democratic-run states like California do everything they can to undermine President Trump's administration and agenda, North Carolina Republicans have gotten to work defending the America First agenda,” he said in a statement. “North Carolinians voted to send President Trump to the White House in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and this new map reflects that support. President Trump deserves a Congress that will fight for American citizens and advance his agenda.”
This developing story. Please stay tuned for updates.
