In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a significant legal battle is underway over the design of congressional and legislative districts crafted by Republican lawmakers. These maps, crucial for maintaining Republican majorities both in Raleigh and nationally, are alleged in federal lawsuits to have been drawn in a way that dilutes the voting power of Black residents. The case reached trial on Monday, where a three-judge panel is examining allegations against GOP legislative leaders who purportedly violated federal laws and the U.S. Constitution when enacting these electoral maps in October 2023. The non-racial motives claimed by Republican leaders are under scrutiny, as they assert political rather than racial considerations directed their actions.
The contested district lines were implemented during the 2024 elections, during which Republicans sustained their majorities in the state’s General Assembly and gained three U.S. House seats previously held by Democrats who opted not to run. These shifts gave Republicans a 10-4 advantage in the U.S. House delegation, assisting them in maintaining control and supporting President Donald Trump’s policies. Depending on the trial’s outcome, Republicans might be mandated to redraw the district lines for the 2026 elections, potentially making it challenging to preserve their current advantage. Without a favorable ruling for the plaintiffs, these districts could remain in effect until 2030.
Two critical lawsuits filed in late 2023 serve as the basis for the trial proceedings. One involves the North Carolina NAACP, Common Cause, and several Black residents who took issue with the redrawn state House and Senate maps and U.S. House districts. Meanwhile, another legal challenge by nearly 20 Black and Latino voters focuses on alleged racial gerrymandering in four congressional districts. Pretrial developments resulted in the dismissal of certain claims related to state House maps and concentrated the state Senate arguments on a few select districts.
The main argument put forth by the lawsuits is that the district boundaries have been unfairly drawn to favor GOP candidates, effectively disenfranchising Black voters from electing their chosen representatives, thus breaching the Voting Rights Act. They claim that Black voter communities, who traditionally favor Democratic candidates, were either spread thin or concentrated in areas to benefit Republicans. Particular emphasis is placed on the Piedmont Triad region, encompassing Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem, where the Black population was reportedly divided among multiple districts. As a result, then-Representative Kathy Manning of Greensboro opted not to run again due to the district’s shift.
Jonathan Rodden, a redistricting expert from Stanford who testified for the plaintiffs, argued that these districts were designed to disperse voting power, creating less cohesive entities that hinder collective action towards common objectives. In the Charlotte area, allegations suggest that GOP lawmakers unlawfully compressed Black voting-age residents into a single district.
Republican leaders contend that their redistricting efforts took political rather than racial considerations into account. In their pretrial briefing, GOP lawyers explained that race-identifying data was omitted intentionally, adhering to legal precedents. Instead, partisan metrics like previous election results guided their decisions. They cite Supreme Court decisions that differentiate between partisan and racial gerrymandering as justification for their approach.
The panel overseeing the trial consists of judges nominated by Republican presidents, including Circuit Judge Allison Rushing and District Judges Thomas Schroeder and Richard Myers. The trial is set to continue for several days, with an expected resolution after additional briefs are filed by early August. The ruling would not be immediate, as any decision affecting the maps must be timely to avoid disrupting candidate filing for the 2026 elections, slated to begin in December.
North Carolina’s history with redistricting litigation is extensive, with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on significant cases involving racial bias in past decades. The current district maps arose after the state Supreme Court overturned previous rulings made when Democrats had a majority. These legal challenges are set against a backdrop of closely contested statewide races, with Democrats historically holding the governorship for much of the past three decades, while Republicans have dominated the General Assembly since 2011. It’s important to note that legislative redistricting decisions in North Carolina are not subject to a governor’s veto.