A federal court ruled Wednesday that North Carolina's new congressional map can be used in next year's election.
The ruling came in a lawsuit that sought to block the new districts, claiming Republican lawmakers made changes to the 1st and 3rd districts to dilute the influence of Black voters.
The three-judge panel determined the plaintiffs couldn't prove that lawmakers intended to discriminate against Black voters. Legislative leaders said they drew the districts to give Republicans an additional seat in North Carolina's Congressional delegation, and they claim they did not consider racial data.
The plaintiffs, they wrote, "have not made a clear showing that the General Assembly likely enacted (the map) with the intent to 'minimize or cancel out the voting potential' of Black North Carolinians. We therefore deny their motion for a preliminary injunction on their Fourteenth Amendment intentional vote dilution claim."
But they noted the new districts that will likely add another Republican seat will have a "disparate impact on Black voters."
"Though plaintiffs have produced evidence of a disparate effect, at this point the evidence does not support an inference that the legislature 'acted with invidious intent,'" they wrote.
Senate leader Phil Berger praised the ruling in a news release Wednesday. "North Carolinians voted to send President Trump to the White House in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and this new map reflects that support," he said. "President Trump deserves a Congress that will fight for American citizens and move his agenda forward. Today's decision thwarts the radical left's latest attempt to circumvent the will of the people."
All three judges on the panel that heard the case were appointed by Republican presidents.
