The Supreme Court Thursday agreed to freeze, for now, a lower court opinion that struck down North Carolina congressional districts holding that it amounted to an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.
The order makes it likely, although not certain, that the controversial maps will be used for the next election.
Earlier this month, a three judge panel held North Carolina’s 2016 plan — that was passed by a Republican-led legislature was enacted “with the intent of discriminating against voters who favored non-Republican candidates” and that the plan violated the First Amendment by “unjustifiably discriminating against voters based on their previous political expression and affiliation.”
The lower court had ordered the North Carolina General Assembly to enact a remedial redistricting plan by January 24 in order to allow the General Assembly two weeks to draw a remedial plan.
The order comes as the Supreme Court is also considering two other partisan gerrymander cases out of Maryland and Wisconsin.
This story is breaking and will be updated.