The New Mexico Supreme Court struck down a lawsuit from Republicans hoping to redraw the state's congressional map on Monday, ensuring the current map will remain in place for the remainder of the redistricting cycle.

Republicans accused Democratic lawmakers of gerrymandering the state’s southernmost congressional district in the 2021 congressional map. Republicans said the redistricting maneuver was a deliberate attempt to fracture influence over the oil and gas industry, which typically aligns with the conservative southwest region.

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While 9th Judicial District Judge Fred Van Soelen ruled in October there was some evidence that Democrats tried to dilute Republican voters in the 2nd Congressional District by moving Democratic-aligned voters in, he ruled there was not an excessive amount of gerrymandering.

The court found that the purpose of redrawing the map "was to entrench the Democratic Party in power by diluting the votes of citizens," noting "sufficient evidence was provided" to break down the 2nd Congressional District "show[n] by the significant swings in voters who were moved out and other voters moved into the district, and the partisan difference in these voters."

Van Soelen said Democrats successfully cut up voting blocs in Lea, Eddy, and Chaves counties and brought in parts of southern Bernalillo County that are Democratic. However, Van Soelen did not "find that the disparate treatment of vote dilution rises to the level of an egregious gerrymander."

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Republicans appealed that decision, arguing the Democratic-led legislature weakened the traditional GOP stronghold and turned it into a highly competitive seat, citing former Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell’s narrow loss to Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) in 2022.

The state's Supreme Court ruling on Monday strikes down the Republican push to redraw the map ahead of the 2024 election, where Vasquez and Herrell are expected to face off once again.