Titan Barksdale, News and Observer

A federal judge has allowed NAACP attorneys to challenge a federal redistricting lawsuit that they say could weaken black voting strength in North Carolina and jeopardize the seats of 16 black legislators in districts across the state.

William Barber II, president of North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, said today that the suit promotes concentrating black voters into a single district and undermines the intent of the federal Voting Rights Act .

The drawing of legislative district lines, done by the legislature every 10 years, is subject to the federal Voting Rights Act. The act requires states to create election districts that do not dilute minority voting power.

In November, a group of Republicans filed a lawsuit that seeks to stop the 2008 elections if the state House and Senate districts are not redrawn. The suit says the current legislative districts are unconstitutional because several counties have been wrongly combined to form voting districts. The suit also said that incorrect census data were used to create the districts.

The group of Republicans bringing the lawsuit includes Frank Mitchell, a former House member from Iredell County. It was filed by Bob Hunter, former chairman of the State Board of Elections who has been involved in many redistricting lawsuits.