A Federal Court Will Hear the Case to Block Gerrymandered Voting Map
The lawsuit challenging the latest version of North Carolina’s gerrymandered Congressional district map faces its first major test in court this week.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina will hold a hearing this Wednesday, November 19, on the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction blocking North Carolina from holding an election using the lines drawn by the NC General Assembly (NCGA) last month. That redrawn map eliminated the only competitive Congressional district in North Carolina, the 1st NC District.
The NCGA created the new voting maps at the behest of President Trump as part of his effort to keep control of Congress. This is the fifth time in four years that the NCGA has redrawn voting maps, a process which our constitution implies should be done once a decade after the census.”
The Effects of Gerrymandered Voting Maps in NC
North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District has elected a Black Democrat to Congress since 1992, but the newest map breaks up the multi-county area known as the Black Belt. That’s the area where a high concentration of Black voters has controlled the majority outcome during that time. In contrast, the new 1st District provides a double-digit percentage advantage to a Republican nominee.
The Case Against Unfair Voting Maps
The plaintiffs in this case include the NAACP North Carolina Conference, Common Cause, and several individual voters. Their complaint alleges that the new district was drawn in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s First, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, as well as Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, by retaliating against voters for their political choices in 2024 and obliterating the only congressional district in Eastern North Carolina where Black voters could consistently elect their candidate of choice.
“Absent relief from this Court, the General Assembly’s actions in unilaterally initiating the redistricting process solely to punish voters will set a dangerous precedent and incentivize regularized, retaliatory redistricting following every federal election,” the complaint states. “It foreshadows a relentless game of whack-a-mole against voters, in which even a hint of dissent will cause the hammer to come down through targeted line-drawing against communities whose voters dare differ from the views of those in power.”
What’s Next?
The case will be heard by the same three-judge panel which heard arguments against the previous map last summer. The judges had not yet rendered a decision on the case, and they allowed the plaintiffs’ request to amend their complaint to target the latest map.
A court decision at this point to block elections under the new map would likely delay primary voting in North Carolina next year. Primaries are now scheduled for March 3.
