political gerrymandering

Another lawsuit challenging North Carolina district lines for Congress and the legislature to be used starting this year seeks a new legal route to strike down maps when critics say they've been manipulated for political gain.

A judge refused Friday to prevent the use of two North Carolina Senate districts drawn by Republican legislators starting with the 2024 elections and to order them replaced with boundaries that lawsuit plaintiffs argue would more likely ensure Black voters can elect a preferred candidate in one of them.

The North Carolina General Assembly gave final approval Wednesday to new redistricting maps poised to empower the state GOP for years to come.

Democrats whose seats are threatened by the plan are Reps. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte, Wiley Nickel of Cary and Kathy Manning of Greensboro. And first-term Rep. Don Davis, one of the three Black Democrats in the state's delegation, would run in a competitive district in northeastern North Carolina. Republicans have defended their maps, particularly with their political leanings, as lawful.

Republicans in the North Carolina Senate advanced a map proposal Monday for the state’s congressional districts beginning in 2024 that could position the party to pick up at least three seats in the U.S. House next year.

The Supreme Court begins its new term this month with a North Carolina lawsuit. The election-related case could have huge national implications for 2024 and beyond.