By GARY D. ROBERTSON

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal judges on Thursday upheld several U.S. House districts that North Carolina Republicans drew in 2023 that helped the GOP gain additional seats the following year. They rejected accusations the lines unlawfully fractured and packed Black voters to weaken their voting power.

The order by three judges — all of whom were nominated to the bench by GOP presidents — didn’t rule on changes made last month to the 1st Congressional District that are designed to unseat Democratic Rep. Don Davis in 2026.

That alteration, completed at the urging of President Donald Trump as part of an ongoing national mid-decade redistricting fray, is still being considered by the panel. The judges heard arguments in Winston-Salem but didn’t immediately rule on whether they would block now the use of the 1st District and the adjoining 3rd District for next year’s election while more legal arguments are made. Candidate filing for the 2026 elections is set to begin Dec. 1.

Many allegations made by the state NAACP, Common Cause and voters cover both 2023 and 2025 changes, in particular claims of voter dilution and racial discrimination violating the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act.

The 2023 map turned a 7-7 North Carolina delegation into one in which Republicans won 10 of the 14 seats in 2024. Three Democrats chose not to seek reelection, saying it was essentially impossible to get reelected under the recast lines.

Thursday’s ruling by 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Allison Rushing and District Judges Thomas Schroeder and Richard Myers rejected claims that GOP legislators drew lines in 2023 so skewed for Republicans that many Black voters could not elect their preferred candidates.

“We conclude that the General Assembly did not violate the Constitution or the VRA in its 2023 redistricting,” they wrote in a 181-page order.

The judges convened a trial several months ago hearing testimony for a pair of lawsuits that challenged portions of maps redrawn in 2023. Thursday’s decision focused on five congressional districts: three in the Greensboro region and two in and around Charlotte, as well as three state Senate districts. The judges also upheld the Senate districts.

The plaintiffs argued Republicans split and weakened the Greensboro region’s concentrated Black voting population within multiple U.S. House districts. Then-Rep. Kathy Manning, a Greensboro Democrat, decided not to run again last year because her district shifted to the right. They also cited what they called packing Black voting-age residents into a Charlotte-area congressional district that helped Republican Tim Moore win an adjoining district.

Attorneys for Republican leaders argued that lawfully partisan — and not racial — considerations helped inform decision-making on the 2023 map. They pointed out that no information on the racial makeup of regions were used in drawing the lines. A 2019 U.S. Supreme Court decision essentially neutered legal claims of illegal partisan gerrymandering going forward.

The judges’ order favoring the GOP lawmakers said “the circumstances surrounding the plans’ enactment and the resulting district configurations and composition are consistent with the General Assembly’s non-racial motivations, which included traditional districting criteria, North Carolina law, and partisan performance.”

The ruling can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Spokespeople for Republican legislative attorneys didn’t immediately respond late Thursday to requests for comment. A lawyers group representing the state NAACP and others said it was disappointed with the ruling.

Still at issue are the changes made to the 1st and 3rd Districts that GOP legislators said are designed to create an 11-3 seat majority in 2026. Davis continues a line of Black representatives elected from the 1st District going back more than 30 years. But he won his second term by less than 2 percentage points.

North Carolina is among several states where Trump has pushed for mid-decade map changes ahead of the 2026 elections. This week, a federal court blocked Texas from using a GOP-engineered map.

By VALERIE GONZALEZ

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge issued an order Wednesday requiring the Trump administration to again consider granting protection from deportation to certain vulnerable young immigrants.

Related Articles

Federal judge orders release of 16 migrants detained in Idaho raid, citing due process violations

Democrats allege spy agency work is being undermined and politicized under Trump

FAA gives $10K bonuses only to air traffic controllers with perfect attendance during shutdown

Justice Department insists Comey indictment was properly approved as it tries to keep case afloat

Trump expands tariff relief on coffee, fruit and beef from Brazil

U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to again consider granting deportation protection under a 2022 program the agency rescinded in June. The decision will allow the program to continue while the lawsuit brought by plaintiffs in July continues.

Children and youth affected are those who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent and given Special Immigrant Juvenile status through a state court and the federal government.

SIJS, as it’s known, was created through congressional bipartisan support in 1990, and though it does not it grant legal status, it lets qualifying young people apply for a visa to become legal permanent residents and obtain a work permit. It can take years for a visa to become available due to annual caps. Under the Biden administration, USCIS could consider shielding designees from deportation while waiting for a visa.

Without the deferred action program, young people do not qualify for a work permit, face deportation and would no longer be eligible to become legal permanent residents if they’re returned to their country of origin.

“The crux of the court’s decision is that the government can’t just pull the rug out from under hundreds of thousands of young people like it did without considering how they built their entire lives around the policy that existed,” Stephanie Ellie Norton, an attorney for the plaintiffs working for the National Immigration Project.

USCIS and DHS did not immediately respond to a request for a statement.

Under the judge’s orders, applicants who had the protection as well as new applicants will be able to submit applications for consideration of this protection. USCIS will also be required to make decisions on the work permit requests for new applicants and designees with existing deferred action status.

The judge has not ruled on the certification of the class but litigation will resume.

By DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees blasted the Trump administration’s handling of intelligence matters Thursday, alleging that America’s spy agencies have been undermined and politicized under President Donald Trump.

Related Articles

FAA bonuses to air traffic controllers with perfect attendance during shutdown leave thousands out

Justice Department insists Comey indictment was properly approved as it tries to keep case afloat

Trump expands tariff relief on coffee, fruit and beef from Brazil

Judge to rule on whether to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from immigration custody

Lawsuit filed on behalf of immigrants fined up to $1.8 million for remaining in the country

During a floor speech, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said the Trump administration has rewarded loyalty over competence and purged experienced intelligence officers, including the former head of the National Security Agency. He also noted that deep cuts to intelligence agencies have shuttered efforts to combat foreign disinformation while reducing cyber defenses.

China, Russia and other adversaries will look to capitalize on these changes amid escalating global tensions, Warner said.

“We are watching, in real time, an administration strip away the guardrails that have protected this country for generations,” said Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused earlier administrations of exploiting intelligence work for political ends and has cited politicization as one of the reasons she revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials this year.

Two House Democrats, meanwhile, wrote to Gabbard on Thursday demanding information about whether strikes on alleged drug cartel boats have prompted some countries to limit the intelligence they share with the U.S.

The letter from Reps. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Joaquin Castro of Texas comes after recent reports that Colombia, Britain and the Netherlands have limited some intelligence sharing with the U.S.

The strikes have killed dozens of people that the government says were involved in drug trafficking, leading to questions about due process, international law and the use of force. Colombia’s president wrote on social media this month that intelligence sharing would be restricted “as long as missile attacks on boats in the Caribbean continue.”

“To the extent that targeted killings of alleged drug traffickers or other policies reduce the willingness of our partners to work closely with our national security agencies, the United States will be less safe as a result,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Gabbard.

In response to questions about the letter, a spokesperson for Gabbard pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent comments on strong U.S. partnerships with the U.K. and other nations.

Rubio also pushed back on reports about Britain limiting intelligence sharing with the U.S. over concerns about the strikes, calling it “a false story.”

The Prep Bowl begins Friday, with four of the seven Minnesota high school football champions being crowned at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Games will be televised on KSTC-Ch. 45 and can be streamed for free at https://kstp.com/45tv/prep45/mshsl-tournaments/

Class A: Minneota (12-0) vs. Breckenridge (13-0), 10 a.m.

Minneota is in search of consecutive win No. 46 and, with it, a fourth-straight state title. While they may seem like a foregone conclusion, Breckenridge has the offensive balance to potentially score points on the Vikings.

Prediction here is a thriller to kick off the festivities.

Our pick: Minneota 34, Breckenridge 31

Class 4A: Orono (9-3) vs. Kasson-Mantorville (11-1), 1 p.m.

Both teams won low-scoring, dramatic semifinals. It’s difficult to see anything else playing out Friday. Senior quarterback Griffin Mauer has been a playmaker when the Spartans have needed it most down the stretch run of the season.

If the ball is in his hands late, Orono would have to like its chances.

Our pick: Orono 20, Kasson-Mantorville 16

Class 2A: Jackson County Central (12-0) vs. Goodhue (12-0), 4 p.m.

Good for Roman Voss, the Gophers athlete commit who’s served as Jackson County Central’s signal caller. Voss was knocked unconscious during the state semifinals as a sophomore, and thus had to miss the Huskies’ state title game appearance two years ago. Now, he gets his shot on the grandest stage.

It comes against a Goodhue team that’s been so sound defensively all season and will see what answers it can dial up for Voss.

Our pick: Jackson County Central 21, Goodhue 14

Class 6A: Edina (8-4) vs. Moorhead (8-4), 7 p.m.

Ready for some fireworks? These two high-

Moorhead’s Sam Jacobson (65) celebrates with fans after defeating Lakeville South during a Class 6A semifinal of the State Football Tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. Moorhead won 26-14.(Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

octane passing offenses combined to post 95 points in a mid-October meeting.

Given the potency of the two aerial attacks, it would be foolish to count either team out at any point in the meeting. When it’s all said and done, a four-loss team will win the Class 6A crown.

Our pick: Moorhead 38, Edina 35