Judges rule that North Carolina’s GOP-friendly congressional map can be used in 2026

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: A federal court has allowed North Carolina to use its new congressional map in next year’s elections, rejecting a lawsuit that claimed Republican lawmakers altered the 1st and 3rd districts to dilute the influence of Black voters. The court ruled that the plaintiffs failed to prove that lawmakers intended to discriminate on a racial basis.

Court findings on North Carolina’s redrawn congressional map

According to legislative leaders, the districts were drawn to give Republicans an additional seat in the state’s Congressional delegation, and they asserted that racial data was not considered in the process.

The plaintiffs argued that the redistricting amounted to intentional vote dilution under the Fourteenth Amendment. The court, however, found that they "have not made a clear showing that the General Assembly likely enacted (the map) with the intent to 'minimize or cancel out the voting potential' of Black North Carolinians. We therefore deny their motion for a preliminary injunction on their Fourteenth Amendment claim."

Judges acknowledged that the new map may have a "disparate impact on Black voters," but they added that the evidence "does not support an inference that the legislature acted with invidious intent."

Reaction from Republican leadership, including Senate leader Phil Berger

Senate leader Phil Berger praised the ruling in a news release on November 26. "North Carolinians voted to send President Donald Trump to the White House in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and this new map reflects that support," Berger said. "President Trump deserves a Congress that will fight for American citizens and move his agenda forward. Today's decision thwarts the radical left's latest attempt to circumvent the will of the people."

All three judges on the panel that heard the case were appointed by Republican presidents.

Related Supreme Court action on Texas’s 2026 congressional map

On November 21, the Supreme Court blocked a lower court ruling that would have allowed Texas’s 2026 congressional map, pushed by former President Donald Trump, to move forward, citing potential discrimination against minority voters. The emergency order, signed by Justice Samuel Alito, remains in effect as the court considers whether the new Republican-favored map can be used in next year’s midterm elections

The conservative majority on the court has previously blocked similar lower court rulings close to elections to prevent confusion.