North Carolina’s Republican-crafted electoral maps are headed to trial this week as opponents contend they illegally gerrymander the state’s Black voters, and other members of racial and ethnic minority groups, into districts meant to dilute their voting power.

North Carolina congressional and legislative districts drawn by Republicans in 2023 that helped them retain majorities in Raleigh and Washington are in court

Republican leaders counter that lawfully partisan — and not racial — considerations helped inform their decision-making.