A group of Black and Latino voters is suing top Republican state lawmakers in federal court over North Carolina's newly drawn Congressional map. The lawsuit says the plan violates the Constitutional ban on racial gerrymandering.
The plaintiffs accuse GOP lawmakers of purposely drawing lines through and around minority communities to dilute their voting power and increase Republican gains at the ballot box next year.
For example, they claim Republicans weakened Black votes in the northeastern First Congressional District by carving out Black communities in Greenville and moving them into a more conservative district. And they say Republicans broke up neighboring Black communities in Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem to make sure the 6th District goes from blue to red.
Republican lawmakers have maintained they drew legal maps under traditional redistricting criteria. The plaintiffs have asked for a three-judge panel to review the case.