The North Carolina Supreme Court Wednesday ordered the delay of the state’s March 2022 primary elections so that it can settle two redistricting lawsuits.

The North Carolina General Assembly passed three new redistricting maps in November. The new maps largely favor Republicans and are reportedly likely to create a ten to four split for Republicans in North Carolina’s congressional delegation. 

A group of voters challenged the new maps within 24 hours of their approval. They argued that the boundaries were drawn for political gain and that this violates provisions of the North Carolina Constitution. Another lawsuit filed on November 16 alleged racial and partisan gerrymandering. The second lawsuit sought to overturn all of the new maps.

Because of these challenges, the North Carolina Supreme Court granted a preliminary injunction and temporarily stayed the candidate-filing period for the state’s primary elections. The court determined that this was the best action “[i]n light of the great public interest in the subject matter of these cases, the importance of the issues to the constitutional jurisprudence of this State, and the need for urgency in reaching a final resolution on the merits at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The primary elections will now be held on May 17, 2022.

North Carolina is one of many states that passed new redistricting maps within the past year. Many states, including Texas, Ohio, and Alabama, have also faced lawsuits over their respective districting maps.