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2w ago

Federal Panel Clears North Carolina’s GOP Map for 2026 Elections

Judges cited a lack of direct racial‑intent evidence, invoking the Supreme Court’s bar on federal partisan‑gerrymander claims.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., after signing the funding bill to reopen the government, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People line up at a polling station in Black Mountain, N.C., on Oct. 21, 2024.
Small toy people figures are seen in front of displayed North Carolina district maps in this illustration taken August 13, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
A Democratic Party staffer holds a chart showing the redistricting that has taken place in the state of North Carolina as members of Congress speak during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol in September. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Overview

  • The three-judge federal panel unanimously denied preliminary injunctions, allowing Senate Bill 249 to take effect for the 2026 midterms.
  • The 57-page order by Judges Allison Jones Rushing, Richard Myers and Thomas Schroeder followed a Nov. 19 hearing in Winston-Salem.
  • Republican lawmakers redrew Districts 1 and 3 by moving whole counties, targeting the 1st District held by Democrat Don Davis to try to add a GOP seat.
  • Plaintiffs including the NAACP, Common Cause and individual Black and Hispanic voters alleged racial vote dilution and political retaliation, but the court found no direct evidence of racial intent and said the record showed partisan motives.
  • The panel rejected claims tied to mid-decade redistricting and census data use, cited Rucho v. Common Cause, noted none of the shifted counties are majority Black, and left ongoing litigation and potential appeals as candidate filing opens next week.