Judges rule North Carolina's gerrymandered map is unconstitutional, may have to be redrawn by November

A three-judge federal panel ruled on Monday that because North Carolina's congressional districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit Republicans over Democrats, new districts may have to be drawn ahead of the November elections.

North Carolina legislators put together a map where 10 of the state's 13 U.S. House districts are held by Republicans, and the federal judges said they are wary of giving lawmakers there another chance at drawing the congressional districts. Federal courts have twice ruled already that the districts violate parts of the Constitution, and the judges said that although North Carolina voters have already chosen candidates through primary elections, the court is not entirely comfortable allowing voting to take place in November with the current map.

Some state lawmakers were blatant with their agenda, The Washington Post reports, including state Rep. David Lewis (R), who told his fellow members of the North Carolina General Assembly in 2016 that he thinks "electing Republicans is better than electing Democrats. So I drew this map to help foster what I think is better for the country."

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