North Carolina’s congressional map stands to get an update, after a state court stepped in to block the use of the current map in next year’s election.

A three judge panel urged the state's General Assembly to draw new lines.

North Carolina’s lawmakers on Capitol Hill are split on the court's order, with the Democrats praising the news and several Republicans panning the court’s involvement.

The Tar Heel State’s district lines have been in dispute for years, with Democrats arguing Republicans in the state’s General Assembly drew them unfairly, giving the GOP too much of an advantage.

Despite North Carolina being a relatively purple state politically, Republicans control 10 of the state’s 13 congressional seats.

“When you look at our state and the makeup of our state, we should not have such a lopsided configuration,” said Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District.

Adams joined with the three other North Carolina Democrats on Capitol Hill in cheering the court’s order. Depending on if and how the lines are redrawn, it could mean a potential pick-up for Democrats.

“I think it was a win-win for our citizens, for the court to come back and say ‘Listen, get it right,’” she said.

Rep. Mark Walker, R-6th District, meanwhile expressed frustration.

“When the judicial side through I guess these Eric Holder lawsuits come in and goes against sometimes even the will of the people through the state legislature, it is frustrating,” he said. “But we’re looking at this and embracing it as far as seeing what needs to happen next."

Earlier this year, the fight over the map made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the justices declined to weigh in. 

But at the state level, the judges stepped into the fray with a preliminary injunction. The court blocked the use of the current districts in the 2020 election.

The judges hinted they would likely find the current map to be an “extreme partisan gerrymander” at trial.

Rep. George Holding, R-2nd District, said he was not surprised by the decision. He said Republicans are “at a serious disadvantage in the [state] Supreme Court.”

“We made our mistakes in not paying more attention to those judicial races in years past,” he said.

Nothing is final yet. Republicans, for example, could fight the ruling. The judges warned that if need be, they could push back the date of the congressional primary elections to accommodate.

Several Republicans on Capitol Hill have joined in on the lawsuit, opposing the injunction.

The campaign for Rep. Ted Budd, R-13th District, said he is “still evaluating the court’s decision" when asked if the congresssman planned to appeal the court's order.

In a statement, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5th District, did not directly address whether she planned to appeal, instead criticizing the court’s decision.

"North Carolina voters deserve stable congressional districts. This decision has contributed to voter confusion about their representation and is ultimately a rejection of centuries of precedent that fails the test of judicial restraint,” she said in part.

If the maps are redrawn and Democrats potentially gain a seat or two, that could have implications nationally, making it a little harder for Republicans as they look to take back control of the U.S. House of Representatives.