Democrats had arguably their best day of the redistricting cycle yet on Wednesday, as state courts in North Carolina and Pennsylvania selected maps that are pretty much their best-case scenarios. Republicans are furious, with one North Carolina GOP incumbent accusing "activist judges" of "subverting our constitution." But until Republicans wrest majorities on both states' supreme courts from Democrats, they'll likely need to live with the maps.
The consolation for the GOP is that these Democratic wins could be short-lived. In North Carolina, Republicans have an excellent chance to take back the state Supreme Court majority in 2022, which could allow GOP legislators to gerrymander the state anew in 2023. And though Pennsylvania's court map axes a GOP seat, three Democratic seats remain at high risk, giving Republicans the chance to win an 11R-6D split if 2022 is a "red wave."
North CarolinaDemocrats are elated after a three-judge trial court on February 23 selected a new map that could bring Democrats to 7D-7R parity in the delegation, up from 8R-5D right now. The plan, drawn by three retired state judges
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