A three-judge federal panel upheld multiple North Carolina congressional maps drawn in 2023, concluding they did not violate the U.S. Constitution or the Voting Rights Act. The court’s 181-page order rejected claims that the maps illegally split or packed Black voters, but it left recent 2025 changes to the 1st and 3rd Districts under review. Plaintiffs including the state NAACP and Common Cause said they were disappointed and may appeal; the ruling itself can be taken to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Federal Judges Uphold Several North Carolina Congressional Maps, Leave Recent 1st/3rd District Changes Under Review
Federal judges on Thursday upheld multiple U.S. House districts drawn by North Carolina Republicans in 2023, rejecting claims that those maps unlawfully fractured and packed Black voters to dilute their influence.
The 181-page opinion was issued by a three-judge panel made up of 4th U.S. Circuit Judge Allison Jones Rushing and U.S. District Judges Thomas Schroeder and Richard Myers, each nominated to the bench by Republican presidents. While the court found the 2023 plan lawful, it did not immediately decide on last-month changes to the 1st Congressional District intended to affect the 2026 contest involving Democratic Rep. Don Davis.
The panel heard arguments in Winston-Salem and left under active consideration whether the revised 1st District and the adjoining 3rd District may be used for next year’s candidate filing period, which begins Dec. 1. Plaintiffs — including the state NAACP, Common Cause and individual voters — challenged both the 2023 maps and 2025 alterations, alleging the plans diluted Black voting strength in violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act.
The judges focused on five congressional districts (three around Greensboro and two near Charlotte) and three state Senate districts. They rejected claims that the 2023 redistricting intentionally used race to prevent Black voters from electing their preferred candidates. “We conclude that the General Assembly did not violate the Constitution or the VRA in its 2023 redistricting,” the judges wrote in their order.
The 2023 map reshaped North Carolina’s congressional delegation: what had been a 7-7 split became a delegation in which Republicans won 10 of 14 seats in 2024. Three incumbent Democrats did not seek reelection last year, saying the new lines made their races unwinnable.
Attorneys for Republican legislative leaders argued the 2023 plan was driven by lawful partisan objectives and traditional districting criteria rather than racial considerations; they also noted that mapmakers did not rely on racial data in drafting the lines. The defense cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2019 guidance limiting federal claims of partisan gerrymandering.
The district and appeals judges concluded the enacted plans were consistent with the General Assembly’s stated non-racial motivations, including adherence to state law and districting principles. The ruling can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they were disappointed and may pursue further review.
Separately, GOP lawmakers maintain that mid-decade adjustments to the 1st and 3rd Districts are intended to help produce a stronger Republican majority in 2026; Representative Don Davis, who follows a decades-long line of Black members from the 1st District, won his most recent race by a narrow margin. The decision in North Carolina comes amid a broader national fight over mid-decade map changes — including a recent federal court block of a Republican-drawn map in Texas.
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