South Carolina US House district ruled racial gerrymander

By JAMES POLLARD and JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal court has ruled South Carolina lawmakers illegally used race as the basis to redraw the boundaries of one of its U.S. House districts. A three-judge panel wrote Friday that the General Assembly diluted Black voting power when it remade the boundaries of the 1st District — the only U.S. House district flipped by South Carolina Democrats in more than 30 years. The ruling requires the state to redraw the map by the end of March and prohibits any elections before a new map is approved. The NAACP, which brought the lawsuit challenging the maps, has said it will ask that special elections be held in any districts deemed unconstitutional.