Federal Judge Upholds North Carolina Senate Map Against Racial Gerrymandering Claims

A federal judge ruled that the North Carolina General Assembly did not violate constitutional restrictions against racial gerrymandering when drawing two northeastern state Senate districts, rejecting claims that the map diluted Black voters' power. The plaintiffs, Black voters from the state's Black Belt region, argued that the 2023 Senate map split a majority-minority district and violated the Voting Rights Act by reducing their ability to elect preferred candidates. However, Judge James Dever found that party preference, not race, drives voting patterns in North Carolina and that the General Assembly did not use racial data in the mapping process. The judge emphasized societal progress allowing Black and white voters to support common candidates and stated that the Voting Rights Act does not entitle plaintiffs to maximize political power beyond protection from vote dilution. Additionally, the ruling noted that African American candidates' election results align with their population proportion in the state. Democrats had opposed the map, but the ruling upheld the Republican-backed districts, which are critical to maintaining their veto-proof majority in the Senate.