The latest redraw of North Carolina’s congressional map has been given the green light, and with it comes a reshuffling of political gravity ahead of the 2026 midterms. A trio of federal judges stepped aside, clearing the path for the Republican-crafted map to stand—much to the delight of those aiming to keep Congress tilted in their favor.
The challenge came from civil rights groups and a coalition of Black and Hispanic voters who argued that the legislature’s mid-decade cartographic adventure wasn’t just political—but punitive. They said the new district lines punished voters for their political affiliation and weakened the influence of Black communities. The court, however, wasn’t convinced.
All three judges—each appointed by Republican presidents—leaned on a familiar refrain: partisan gerrymandering may leave a bad taste, but federal courts aren’t empowered to fix it. Their message was blunt: unless the U.S. Supreme Court changes the rules, drawing political lines for political ends remains a political problem, not a judicial one.
The plaintiffs had attempted to freeze the map with a preliminary injunction, but the court found no clear path to victory in their claims. With that, the new lines move forward.
Critics wasted no time sharpening their words. Common Cause North Carolina called the map the most gerrymandered in state history, warning that the ruling effectively blesses a blueprint designed to sideline competition.
This maneuver places North Carolina alongside Texas and Missouri—states that have already embraced an out-of-sequence redistricting cycle, spurred on by calls to retool the political landscape before the next major election. Even California, typically on the other end of the partisan spectrum, has begun its own targeted redraw.
Redistricting is usually a once-in-a-decade recalibration tied to the Census. But this year’s detours have cracked open a national fight over who gets to redraw the map—and when. In Texas, a federal panel blocked that state’s mid-cycle map earlier this month, only for the order to be paused while the Supreme Court weighs in.
North Carolina now steps into its own version of that storm—its new map intact, its political future freshly redrawn, and its critics sharpening their gaze for the next round.
