by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
November 30, 2025
The ruling comes despite lawsuits by the NAACP and local voters.
North Carolina Republicans have won a federal redistricting battle, with the move likely flipping long-held by Black Democrats.
A federal three-judge panel voted in favor of a new congressional map that will mainly impact the North Carolina’s 1st district, as reported by 828 News Now. The panel also upheld several other GOP-enacted maps, which helped Republicans garner several seats in the southern state.
The ruling has greatly aided Donald Trump’s multistate redistricting campaign, especially as the midterms get underway. Trump called on the state’s GOP leaders to redraw the maps in order to secure favorable election results in 2026. The campaign seeks to keep GOP leaders in the House for next year.
However, this congressional map could jeopardize a seat currently led by Black leadership. Rep. Don Davis represents over 20 counties in the district, with Black predecessors keeping the position for three decades.
The ruling has dismissed lawsuits filed by the NAACP and voters. The first lawsuit, launched by a state chapter of the NAACP and Common Cause, says the redistricting violates the First Amendment. The filing stated that the redrawn maps target the ‘Black Belt” of diverse voters in the area. The voter-led lawsuit also argued that the maps based the redistricting on old Census data.
While GOP leaders have rejoiced over this ruling, local Democrats have called out the ruling as an act disregarding voters’ rights in the area.
“This ruling gives blessing to what will be the most gerrymandered congressional map in state history, a map that intentionally retaliates against voters in eastern North Carolina for supporting a candidate not preferred by the majority party,” said Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina.
As some lower courts block Trump’s direction, some states like California have also begun their own defense against the effort, redrawing districts to ensure more Dem-leaning turnouts. The party breakdown in the House currently stands at 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats, leaving little room for error during next year’s midterms.
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