DURHAM, N.C. (Oct. 28, 2025) — Individual voters and two pro-democracy groups are challenging the North Carolina General Assembly’s latest congressional map — the fifth in six years — as an unconstitutional, retaliatory redraw designed to punish Black voters in the state’s historic Black Belt for how they voted in 2024.
Lawmakers passed the map with breathtaking speed and total disregard for public input or precedent. In less than a week, legislative leaders used Senate Bill 249 (S.B. 249) to ram through a mid-decade redistricting plan that surgically dismantles NC Congressional District 1, a previously Black opportunity district, and shifts thousands of Black voters out of their communities of representation.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU-NC) joined as co-counsel representing plaintiffs alongside Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) and Hogan Lovells in filing a first supplemental complaint over the new map in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The original lawsuit was filed jointly in 2023 by individual Black voters, NAACP North Carolina State Conference, and Common Cause. Individual plaintiffs in this filing are Dawn Daly-Mack, Calvin Jones, Arthur Lee Johnson, Barbara Jean Sutton, and Courtney Patterson.
The supplemental complaint states that S.B. 249 violates the First, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by retaliating against voters for their political choices and obliterating the only congressional district in Eastern North Carolina where Black voters could consistently elect their candidate of choice.
Click here to read the full supplemental complaint.
“Absent relief from this Court, the General Assembly’s actions in unilaterally initiating the redistricting process solely to punish voters will set a dangerous precedent and incentivize regularized, retaliatory redistricting following every federal election,” the complaint states. “It foreshadows a relentless game of whack-a-mole against voters, in which even a hint of dissent will cause the hammer to come down through targeted line-drawing against communities whose voters dare differ from the views of those in power.”
While this redraw comes after increased pressure from the White House on state lawmakers, this targeted attack is one of several in a larger coordinated assault on the Black Belt of North Carolina. Several of the voting districts from the 2023 redrawing were challenged in a federal trial this past summer. The maps drawn directly attack the rights of Black North Carolinians.
“This wasn’t redistricting. It was payback,” said Deborah Dicks Maxwell, President of the NAACP North Carolina State Conference. “Lawmakers used their power to silence Black voters who dared to speak through the ballot box. That’s retaliation, plain and simple.”
“Our communities showed up in 2024. We organized, we voted, and now the legislature is trying to undo our voices on purpose,” said Patterson, an individual plaintiff whose residence was located in Congressional District 1 under the 2023 Congressional Plan and is now in 2025 Congressional District 3. “We will not be silenced.”
Lawmakers didn’t hide their intentions, according to the complaint. During committee hearings, Sen. Ralph Hise stated plainly that “the motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: Draw a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the North Carolina congressional delegation.” He and other leaders repeatedly cited 2024 election results to justify the changes — data that revealed overwhelming Black voter support for Rep. Don Davis and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In other words, the legislature used the voters’ own ballots as a blueprint for retaliation. The result is a map that drops the Black voting-age population in Congressional District 1 by nearly eight percentage points and perfectly splits Black voters between Districts 1 and 3, neutralizing their collective political voice.
“Politicians in the legislature specifically targeted Black voters in a shameful attempt to silence their voices. The legislature’s discriminatory gerrymandering is a shocking violation of hard-won constitutional freedoms,” said Bob Phillips, Executive Director of Common Cause North Carolina. “Our electoral districts don’t belong to politicians; our districts belong to the people. We’re proud to stand with these courageous voters in our fight against the legislature’s retaliatory gerrymandering.”
“This is not redistricting as usual. It’s a mid-decade, no-pretext attempt to cancel Black voters’ voices because those in power didn’t like the results of the last election,” said Hilary Harris Klein, Senior Counsel for Voting Rights at SCSJ. “Our Constitution and the Voting Rights Act do not permit the government to redraw lines to punish people for their political speech.”
“North Carolina map drawers drew this map for one reason: To punish Black voters who fought back in 2024 in court and at the ballot box by rigging the game against them,” said Ari Savitzky, Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “What North Carolina is doing here is immoral and unconstitutional.”
“Let’s be clear: This new map is part of a years-long strategy to entrench partisan control at the expense of Black voters in historically influential communities, silencing them based on viewpoint,” said Jaclyn Maffetore, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU-NC. “No one’s vote should count less because of who they are or what they believe.”
###
Southern Coalition for Social Justice, founded in 2007, partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing, and communications. Learn more at southerncoalition.org and follow our work on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
For more than 100 years, the ACLU has worked in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect the constitutional rights of all people. With a nationwide network of offices and millions of members and supporters, the ACLU takes on the toughest civil liberties fights in pursuit of liberty and justice for all.
The ACLU of North Carolina dares to create a more perfect union – beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States and North Carolina Constitutions for all and expand the reach of their guarantees.
Founded in 1943, the North Carolina State Conference of NAACP Branches (NAACP North Carolina State Conference) is the oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization in North Carolina, overseeing the programmatic work of over 120 NAACP branches, youth councils, and college chapters. The NAACP North Carolina State Conference is focused on advocating for policies and programs to benefit Blacks and people of color. Learn more at ncnaacp.org.
Common Cause, established in 1970, is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process. Learn more at commoncausenc.org.
Global law firm Hogan Lovells has a long tradition of supporting ground-breaking social developments, focusing on access to justice and the rule of law. As lawyers, we recognize this commitment is part of our professional practice and collectively we spend more than 150,000+ pro bono hours per year on work to achieve lasting impact for others. Learn more at www.hoganlovells.com.
