Jan 9, 2018

Court finds North Carolina’s congressional map unconstitutional

Khorri Atkinson

A North Carolina federal court on Tuesday struck down the state's congressional map, finding that it's partisan and violates the U.S. Constitution in the first ruling of its kind about partisan gerrymandering.

Why it matters: This comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing a gerrymandering case in Wisconsin that could, for the first time, alter how maps are created and implement a concrete legal standard for determining when redistricting is infected with political bias.

What's happening: The 3-judge court threw out the electoral lines drawn by the state's Republican-controlled assembly and ordered that no elections be conducted under the current map, including this year's midterm elections. The court plans to appoint "in short order a Special Master" to assist the court in drawing an alternative remedial plan, the ruling said. The court gave North Carolina's general assembly until January 24th to propose an alternative.

Go deeper: The gerrymandering cases to watch in 2018

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Court finds North Carolina’s congressional map unconstitutional

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