Court declines to undo GOP-drawn North Carolina election maps

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A North Carolina trial court on Tuesday ruled that congressional and legislative maps drawn by Republicans did not violate the state constitution amid accusations of gerrymandering.

The three-judge panel, made up of two Republicans and one Democrat, unanimously ruled that redistricting was an inherently political process and is meant to be that way.

"Redistricting and the political considerations that are part of that process do not impinge on the right to vote," the judges wrote in the 260-page ruling. "Nothing about redistricting affects a person's right to cast a vote."

Republicans passed a redistricting plan in the fall that is expected to give Republicans a 10-4 advantage in the state's 14 House of Representative seats and maps for state legislature, which are expected to produce Republican majorities even if Democrats manage to win most of the vote.

The judges, however, wrote that there is no guarantee that the number of seats a political party wins in Congress or state legislature should be proportional to the statewide vote the party receives.

Candidate filing is set to resume on Feb. 24, according to the ruling, but Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias said the challengers planned to appeal the case to the North Carolina Supreme Court, where Democrats control four of the seven seats.

"The fight for fair districts continues," Elias said.

State Republicans praised the court's decision.

"I am pleased the trial court has ruled in our favor, upholding the maps drawn by the General Assembly in the most transparent process in North Carolina history," North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore said.