Nov. 26 (UPI) — A three-judge panel on Wednesday permitted North Carolina to adopt a redrawn congressional map that is expected to favor the Republican Party.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina unanimously ruled against the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction against legislation approved in October by the state’s General Assembly that critics say threaten one federal congressional district, specifically Congressional District 1, which represented by Democrat Don Davis.

In their 57-page ruling on Wednesday, the three Republican-appointed judges said the plaintiffs failed to prove that the state’s General Assembly enacted the legislation, Senate Bill 249, with the intent to “minimize or cancel out the voting potential” of Black North Carolinians as they had claimed.

The ruling comes in protracted litigation that began in 2023, when the Republican-led state sought to redraw some of the districts for electing representatives to the state Senate and federal Congress.

The plaintiffs, who include the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, sued that December. In October, amid litigation on the maps, the state’s General Assembly passed legislation to swap counties between Congressional District 1 and Congressional District 3.

The plaintiffs again sued the state, alleging the legislation was unconstitutional and asking the court to enjoin S.B. 249.

Earlier this month, the same three-judge panel issued a ruling approving the changes to the map put forward in 2023.

A hearing on S.B. 249 was held Nov. 19, during which the plaintiffs argued that the speed with which the General Assembly passed the 2025 plan was evidence of discriminatory intent.

But the panel of judges disagreed, stating “they have offered no reason to believe that the speed of the 2025 process indicates an intent to discriminate on the basis of race. Nor do they explain what weight we are supposed to assign to what they call ‘the near uniform outcry among North Carolina voters against the map and the process.’”

The ruling comes amid something of a gerrymandering race in the United States that began in earnest when Texas this summer — under pressure of President Donald Trump — sought a mid-decade redraw of its maps to make them more favorable to the Republican Party.

California is in the process of redrawing its maps in retaliation and other states under control of both parties have followed with similar plans.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has joined a coalition of 25 other attorneys general calling on Shopify, a popular e-commerce platform, to take stronger action against merchants who use its services to sell illegal tobacco products and e-cigarettes.

In a Nov. 24 news release, the AG’s office said there are more than two dozen illegal e-cigarette websites that utilize Shopify’s platform and another 200 websites that are selling illegal tobacco products.

“If states and the federal government create laws to protect our residents, companies can’t sidestep those for their own profit,” Jackson said in the news release. “We have protections against selling e-cigarettes to children because we know how harmful it is for them, and we need Shopify to step up and keep those products off of its platforms.”

VAPING IMPACTS BLOOD VESSELS & OXYGEN, NEW STUDY SAYS

The AG’s office said that due to their highly addictive nature and potential health risks, especially for young people, e-cigarettes are strictly regulated by federal law, as well as by many state laws across the country. E-cigarettes also cannot be sold to people under the age of 21.

Jackson’s office said Shopify has removed merchants for using its services for unlawful activities in recent years, but merchants continue using it to sell e-cigarettes.

The bipartisan attorneys general are asking Shopify to work together to find a solution that keeps unlawful products off their platforms and out of the market, according to the release.

NORTH CAROLINA LAWSUIT DOCUMENTS AGAINST JUUL NOW PUBLIC

In 2019, North Carolina sued electronic cigarette company JUUL for unlawfully designing, marketing, and selling e-cigarettes to teenagers. It won a $47.8 million judgment against Juul in 2021.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Safety is top of mind for many people in the Triangle after a violent week of apparent road rage shootings, including one over the weekend in Wake County on Knightdale Blvd., where one person died.

“It’s a little overwhelming, it’s like anxiety inducing,” Raj Rana said.

Rana said he’s seen firsthand how driving behavior can escalate on North Carolina roads.

“I’ll try to understand my surroundings and get to a place where I cannot be in someone’s way or have their anger not be directed at me,” Rana said.

AAA is projecting nearly 90% of Thanksgiving travelers will travel by car, including in Durham County, where driving instructor Calvin Brewer is teaching students how to avoid and manage road rage.

“We have been seeing a lot more road rage and a lot more incidents about road rage, especially with the population increase,” Brewer said.

North Carolina is home to more than 11 million people, meaning more drivers on the road.

Some of the safety tips Brewer said include:

• Removing yourself from the situation

He added that there could be legal consequences depending on how you react to aggressive behaviors on the road.

“Remember the value of staying calm in stressful situations,” Brewer said. “We always teach that safety is top priority. If you feel threatened or if you know something like that, it’s better to just drive away rather than confront other drivers.”

SEE ALSO | Deadly shooting may have been sparked by road rage in Wake County

SEE ALSO | 1 person injured after shooting in south Raleigh, police say