March 8. By Dave Vieser. It’s over. The on-again. off-again redistricting maps for North Carolina congressional races will stand.

Late Monday afternoon, the US Supreme Court decided to allow congressional maps that had been approved by state courts in North Carolina to stand. Election experts believe the decision may give Democrats an edge in some key races in November.

Republicans had requested an emergency hearing by the US Supreme Court designed to restore maps previously approved by the GOP-controlled state legislature in Raleigh.

Those district lines had been rejected by the state Supreme Court after challenges by Democrats.

Republicans had taken issue with the congressional map, and unsuccessfully turned to the nation’s highest court for one final attempt at changing the districts.

With the Supreme Court decision not to conduct an emergency hearing, the districts drawn by the State Court will stand for November’s elections. However, based on comments from some of the jurists, the issue of whether the state courts have the right to reject maps drawn up by the General Assembly may ultimately be addressed down the road by the Supreme Court, but clearly not in time for this years elections.