The 2023 map helped turn a 7-7 North Carolina delegation into one in which Republicans won 10 of the 14 seats in 2024. Three Democrats chose not to seek reelection, saying it was essentially impossible to get reelected under the recast lines.
Thursday’s ruling by 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Allison Rushing and District Judges Thomas Schroeder and Richard Myers rejected claims that GOP legislators drew lines in 2023 so skewed for Republicans that many black voters could not elect their preferred candidates.
“We conclude that the General Assembly did not violate the Constitution or the VRA in its 2023 redistricting,” they wrote in a 181-page order.
The judges convened a trial several months ago hearing testimony for a pair of lawsuits that challenged portions of maps redrawn in 2023. Thursday’s decision focused on five congressional districts: three in the Greensboro region and two in and around Charlotte, as well as three state Senate districts. The judges also upheld the Senate districts.
