Minority Voters Challenge New Congressional Districts in North Carolina and Georgia

Lawsuits allege the redistricting plans, drawn by Republican legislators, weaken minority voting power and violate the U.S. Constitution.

Black and Latino voters in North Carolina have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the state's new congressional districts, arguing they weaken minority voting power in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit challenges four districts where the plaintiffs contend GOP leaders moved around groups of voters and minimized the voting strength of minorities, thereby strengthening the state's white majority.
In Georgia, Republicans are pushing redistricting plans that opponents argue illegally break up a majority nonwhite district currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep Lucy McBath.
A key part of the debate is whether federal law protects voting districts where a coalition of nonwhite voters hold sway, a question that has never been settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lawmakers in Georgia were called into a special session after a U.S. District Judge ruled that the state's congressional, state Senate and state House maps violate federal law by diluting Black voting power.