8TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS UPHOLDS LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES

03 Nov 8TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS UPHOLDS LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES

November 03, 2023

_{CONTACT: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210, snweigel@nd.gov}

Bismarck, ND – Attorney General Drew Wrigley announced today that a three-judge panel for the United States District Court for North Dakota upheld the legislatively drawn boundaries for state legislative districts 4 and 9.

In 2021, the Legislature redrew the state legislative districts – a process required after every federal census. As part of the 2021 redistricting plan, the Legislature created subdistricts encompassing the Native American reservations in districts 4 and 9 to comply with the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act. The plaintiffs challenged North Dakota’s subdistricts under the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, alleging the subdistricts resulted from unlawful racial gerrymandering. The federal judges disagreed with the plaintiffs’ arguments and granted the State’s motion for summary judgment, stating the “undisputed record shows the Legislative Assembly did perform a contemplative and thorough pre-enactment analysis” and “the State had good reasons and strong evidence to believe the subdistricts were required by the [Voting Rights Act].”

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