NC Supreme Court reconsiders past court's ruling on partisan gerrymandering. What you need to know

The North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday reheard a case that stands to impact the state's political makeup for the remaining decade.

North Carolina state Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby swears in members of the state House to begin a new legislative session on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.

North Carolina’s redistricting case is very complicated and has a lot of moving parts, but it’ll likely boil down to how the state Supreme Court interprets two phrases: “when established” and “shall remain unaltered.”

Before we dive into that, it’s important to note how we got here:

Leading with context

Every decade, the U.S. Census Bureau surveys Americans so it can get an updated population count. After the new Census results come in, states must draw political boundaries. In North Carolina, it’s up to the Republican-controlled legislature to enact three voting maps: U.S. House, state House and state Senate. The governor doesn’t get a say in the process, but the maps are subject to legal challenges.