North Carolina’s 2023 GOP-drawn congressional map upheld
A panel of federal judges upheld North Carolina’s 2023 congressional map Thursday as the judges continue mulling the legality of the state’s mid-decade redistricting push .
The panel has not yet ruled on whether that new map, which was drawn this year to add a Republican pickup opportunity in the House as part of a nationwide redistricting arms race , can stand for the midterms .
But Thursday’s decision rejects a challenge to North Carolina’s earlier design that claimed intentional dilution of Black voting power in violation of the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. The challengers had also contested some state legislative districts.
“After considering all the evidence, we find that Plaintiffs have failed to prove that the North Carolina General Assembly drew state Senate or federal congressional districts with the discriminatory purpose of minimizing or canceling out the voting potential of black North Carolinians,” the panel wrote in its unanimous opinion.
The panel comprised three judges, all appointed by Republican presidents: U.S. Circuit Judge Allison Rushing and U.S. District Judge Richard Myers, both appointed by President Trump, and U.S District Judge Thomas Schroeder, an appointee of former President George W. Bush.
North Carolina’s maps were challenged by Black and Hispanic voters, the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and watchdog Common Cause. Their allegations largely focused on districts in the Piedmont Triad region and near Charlotte.
They could appeal Thursday’s ruling directly to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, those same challengers are now moving to invalidate the state’s new congressional map , which creates a Republican pickup opportunity in the state’s 1st Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Don Davis (D).
The Tar Heel State‘s election board has warned the judges need to rule by Dec. 1, so officials have enough time to prepare for the primaries next year.
Thursday’s ruling means the 2023 map could be used if the judges ultimately strike down the new design.
North Carolina Republicans redrew the voting maps last month amid a push from Trump for the GOP to pursue mid-decade redistricting to boost the party’s chances in next year’s midterms.
The redistricting blitz began in Texas, where earlier this week a separate panel of judges struck down the state’s new map. Legal challenges remain pending over the new maps in California and Missouri.
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