RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A panel of North Carolina judges has refused to block the latest legislative and congressional maps from being used for the 2022 elections.
The Wake County Superior Court three-judge panel on Friday denied preliminary injunctions in a pair of lawsuits challenging boundaries that the Republican-controlled legislature passed last month.
The decision means candidate filing for the March 8 primary should begin at noon Monday as scheduled. The decision can be appealed.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits call the lines “extreme partisan” gerrymanders that put Republicans in the driver’s seat to retain their General Assembly majorities and win 10 of the state’s 14 U.S. House seats.
Republicans say the maps are lawful.
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Democratic members of North Carolina's congressional delegation on Friday evening criticized the judges' decision.
The newly drawn maps "provide Republicans a baked-in advantage, effectively silencing large numbers of North Carolina voters," said Reps. Alma Adams, G.K. Butterfield, Kathy Manning, David Price and Deborah Ross in a joint news release.
“By forcing the election to proceed with partisan congressional maps, the court is robbing North Carolinians of the opportunity to elect their leaders and instead ensuring that politicians get to choose their voters," they stated, adding that they would support an appeal.