NC Newsline’s the Pulse reports on oral arguments yesterday before a federal three-judge panel in Winston-Salem, NC, with respect to the NAACP and Common Cause’s challenge to the newly drawn congressional districts for eastern and northeastern North Carolina–the ones Republicans adopted in October.

The plaintiffs are relying in part on a novel argument that that the mid-decade, voluntary redistricting retaliated against voters, “argu[ing] that the redistricting deliberately targeted the people in that district for how they voted in 2024.”

“Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell), who was in charge of drawing the districts, was the hearing’s only witness. No racial data was used to create the plan, he said.

‘We undertook the process to improve the partisan advantage for Republicans,’ Hise said. 

Klein argued that if allowed, Republicans would be able to redistrict after every election if they don’t like the results.”

One of the three judges expressed skepticism that plaintiffs could win a preliminary injunction based on a novel argument:

“Judge Thomas Schroeder suggested that the novelty of the retaliation argument would work against opponents’ efforts to have the map blocked until the case can be tried. They have to show a likelihood of success on the merits to win a preliminary injunction.”