North Carolina court strikes down state legislative map as unconstitutional gerrymander

A three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court said the state Senate and state House district lines discriminated against Democratic voters in violation of the state constitution's free elections, equal protection and free speech clauses. The decision is a victory for election reform advocates considering legal challenges to partisan gerrymandering in state courts despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year blocking such cases in federal courts. State Senate Leader Phil Berger, a Republican, criticized the case as an attempt to "game" the redistricting process but signaled lawmakers would not appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

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