The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that two congressional districts in North Carolina were drawn to limit Black voters’ power in the state. The ruling reaffirms a North Carolina District Court’s previous finding.
“A State may not use race as the predominant factor in drawing district lines unless it has a compelling reason,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the majority. Kagan was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.
Following the release of the 2010 U.S. Census, North Carolina redrew Districts 1 and 12. The Black voting-age population (BVAP) went up 4 percentage points in District 1 and 7 percentage points in District 12.
