In a decision that could have significant repercussions for the balance of power in the closely divided U.S. House, North Carolina’s highest court on Friday reversed an earlier ruling that declared partisan gerrymandering illegal.
The 5-2 decision by the Republican majority on the court will allow the Republican-controlled legislature to redraw district boundaries for both Congress and the General Assembly to favor GOP candidates. Both Democratic justices were in the minority.
North Carolina’s congressional delegation is currently evenly divided, with seven Republicans and seven Democrats. But the court’s decision empowers Republicans in Raleigh to remake the map, which could place at least three of those Democrats in jeopardy.
