RALEIGH, 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. The trial, which involved two lawsuits alleging racial gerrymandering in a handful of U.S. House and state Senate districts approved in 2023, concluded in July. North State Journal’s A.P.