Federal judges allow North Carolina to use new GOP-drawn map in 2026 midterms

A panel of federal judges ruled Wednesday that North Carolina can use its recently redrawn congressional map for the 2026 midterms, which could give Republicans another seat in the House.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina unanimously approved the map in a 57-page ruling, stating that plaintiffs failed to prove that the maps were redrawn for racial reasons or as political retaliation.

The Republican-dominated state legislature last month passed the new map, which would likely help Republicans flip Democratic North Carolina Rep. Don Davis' district. 

"We find that plaintiffs have not made a clear showing that the General Assembly likely enacted S.B. 249 with the intent to 'minimize or cancel out the voting potential' of black North Carolinians," the three judges wrote. "We therefore deny their motion for a preliminary injunction on their Fourteenth Amendment intentional vote dilution claim."

The new redistricting lines are expected to give the GOP an 11-3 edge in congressional representation in North Carolina.

The ruling is the latest victory for Republicans nationwide who are trying to use new maps in the midterms that could bolster the Republican majority. The Supreme Court last week temporarily blocked a lower court order that found Texas’ 2026 congressional redistricting map was likely unconstitutional because it was likely racially gerrymandered.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.