A panel of judges rejected North Carolina’s congressional map Tuesday, deeming it unconstitutional for the setup of its districts.
This is the first time a federal court has negated a congressional map because it was gerrymandered with political intent, The New York Times reports. The state legislature has been ordered to go back and redraw the district lines before the upcoming midterm elections in November.
Judge James A. Wynn, an Obama appointee who wrote the opinion, said the state’s Republican Party had tried to “subordinate” non-Republican voters and believed they were “motivated by invidious partisan intent,” according to TheNYT.
“Having concluded that the 2016 Plan violates the Equal Protection Clause, the First Amendment, and Article I of the Constitution, we now must determine the appropriate remedy,” the court wrote in a 191-page opinion.
Three federal judges ordered the state legislature in July to redraw its General Assembly districts, which ended up effecting 28 of the state’s 170 districts, The Hill reported.
State lawmakers have been given a deadline of Jan. 24 to come up with a new map, but if they fail to do so, the court can step in and redraw the districts for them, TheNYT reports.
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