North Carolina Election Maps Face Federal Court Scrutiny Over Racial Gerrymandering Claims
A trial challenging North Carolina’s congressional and legislative election maps, accused of racial gerrymandering, begins next week in Winston-Salem. The NAACP and Common Cause, along with individual voters, assert that the 2023 maps violate the U.S. Constitution by diluting the voting power of Black citizens, particularly in historically African American districts.
The case will be overseen by a three-judge federal panel, comprising U.S. Appeals Court Judge Allison Jones Rushing and U.S. District Judges Richard Myers and Thomas Schroeder, all appointed by Republican presidents. Although the disputed maps are permitted for the 2024 elections, a ruling could compel the Republican-led General Assembly to redraw them in time for the 2026 elections.
The plaintiffs argue that lawmakers unlawfully manipulated election district lines to minimize Black voter influence, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and the Equal Protection Clause. Specific allegations include “cracking and packing” Black voters in several congressional districts, compromising their voting power.
Defending the maps, Republican legislative leaders dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims, arguing that they cannot prove any racial motives behind the district designs. They referenced the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Rucho v. Common Cause, which removed partisan gerrymandering claims from judicial review, citing that the plaintiffs are attempting to reframe political disputes as racial ones.
The case’s outcome could reshape North Carolina’s political future, placing renewed emphasis on fair representation and the enforcement of voting rights. The ongoing trial is significant not only for its implications on North Carolina’s electoral landscape but also serves as a bellwether for similar cases across the United States. Assistant lawyers have noted the tight timeline ahead of upcoming election dates, indicating that changes may need to be expedited to avoid disrupting the election calendar.
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