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Federal Judge Upholds North Carolina Senate Map, Rejects Voting Rights Act Challenge

The decision leans on evidence of crossover voting to conclude that Section 2’s threshold for racially polarized voting was not met.

FILE - A sergeant-at-arms in the North Carolina state Senate passes out copies of a map proposal for new state Senate districts during a committee hearing at the Legislative Office Building in Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum, File)
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III issued a 126-page order upholding Senate Districts 1 and 2 in northeastern North Carolina.
  • Plaintiffs Moses Matthews and Rep. Rodney Pierce alleged vote dilution under Section 2, but the judge found insufficient proof and ruled they lacked standing to challenge one district.
  • Dever pointed to consistent success of minority‑preferred candidates in crossover and coalition districts, citing recent wins in Pitt, Edgecombe, Wilson, and Wake counties.
  • The ruling preserves Republicans’ 30‑seat supermajority in the 50‑member Senate, a balance that determines whether Democratic vetoes can be sustained.
  • An appeal to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is possible, with separate redistricting claims still pending before a three‑judge federal panel.