In early January 2018, a North Carolina federal court ruled that the state’s congressional map was drawn into excessively partisan districts, resulting in partisan gerrymandering. The three-judge panel ruled that no other elections could be held under the map and that it would have to be redrawn before the 2018 midterm elections.
However, on Jan. 18, the U.S. Supreme Court granted North Carolina Republicans’ request for an emergency stay of the district court order, so orders to redraw the map are on hold for now. Attorneys representing the state argued that the original court-ordered timeline—14 days—would disrupt North Carolina’s congressional election.
Additionally, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases that challenge partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin and Maryland, which could set a new precedent for when states have crossed the line into partisan gerrymandering.