Nov 27, 2025 - Politics & Policy

N.C. can use Republican-drawn congressional map, judges rule

Rebecca Falconer

A dark-haired Democratic Party staff member, wearing a red dress with short sleeves, holds a chart showing the redistricting that has taken place in the state of North Carolina as members of Congress speak during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol September 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. — A Democratic Party staffer holds a chart showing the redistricting that has taken place in the state of North Carolina as members of Congress speak during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol in September. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

North Carolina can use a redrawn congressional map during the 2026 midterm elections, a federal three-judge panel ruled on Wednesday.

Why it matters: It's a win for Republicans seeking to flip a U.S. House seat in N.C. amid President Trump's push for states to redistrict so the GOP can keep control of Congress after the 2026 midterm elections.

What we're watching: Representatives for the NAACP, which is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to Axios' Wednesday night request for comment on whether it would appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

State of play: The judges in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of N.C. wrote in their ruling that the plaintiffs "presented no direct evidence" that the Republicans' redistricting drive would violate racial discrimination laws.

"Instead, the direct evidence shows that the 2025 redistricting was motivated by partisan purposes," the ruling added.
That means a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that cases about partisan gerrymandering are "beyond the reach of the federal courts" would apply in this case.

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N.C. can use Republican-drawn congressional map, judges rule

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