Federal Judge Upholds North Carolina Senate Districts Against Racial Gerrymandering Claims

A federal judge upheld two northeastern North Carolina Senate districts against claims that the Republican-drawn maps diluted Black voting power in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Plaintiffs Moses Matthews and Rodney Pierce, now a state representative, argued the districts should have been majority-Black to ensure Black voters could elect preferred candidates, but the judge ruled they lacked standing for one district and failed to prove racial vote dilution in another. The judge noted that Black voters in North Carolina have successfully elected candidates of their choice even in districts where Black voting-age populations are below 50%, citing examples of crossover voting and longstanding Black representation. The ruling emphasized that racially polarized voting in the state is not legally significant and that the redistricting was not race-based but partisan, with white voters tending to support Republicans and Black voters Democrats. Republicans defended the map as fair and legal, denying use of racial data in drawing districts, and the decision may be appealed. This ruling follows other ongoing redistricting challenges in North Carolina and highlights the critical partisan balance in the state Senate, where Republicans hold a veto-proof majority.