By GARY D. ROBERTSONAssociated PressRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A pair of northeastern North Carolina legislative districts can remain intact, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, rejecting Black voters’ claims that state Republicans illegally manipulated the boundaries to prevent them from electing their favored candidates. Otherwise, he said, they failed to provide enough evidence to prove that the lines diluted Black voting power. He said the case record demonstrates northeastern North Carolina communities include Black voting blocs that form coalitions with other racial and ethnic groups to elect their favored candidates. “Black voters in northeast North Carolina and throughout North Carolina have elected candidates of their choice (both white and black) with remarkable frequency and success for decades,” wrote Dever, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush. The trial, which involved two lawsuits alleging racial gerrymandering in a handful of U.S. House and state Senate districts, concluded in July.