Judge orders new North Dakota legislative district for 2 Native American tribes

JACK DURA
Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered a new legislative district for two Native American tribes who successfully challenged North Dakota’s 2021 redistricting map as violating the Voting Rights Act in diluting Native American voters’ strength. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Peter Welte’s decision Monday comes after a flurry of court filings since his Nov. 17 ruling after a June trial in the tribes’ lawsuit. Welte had set a Dec. 22 deadline for the Legislature to enact a new map, but the deadline came and went. The Legislature asked for more time, which Welte and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied.