The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that South Carolina’s congressional map is lawful and doesn’t violate Black voters’ rights.

The 6-3 ruling upheld a map that was challenged by voter Taiwan Scott and the South Carolina NAACP, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and allied groups.

Republican state lawmakers had asked the high court to review a ruling from a three-judge district court panel that ordered South Carolina to redraw its 2022 map for congressional districts. 

A federal court had ruled after a nine-day trial that South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District had been drawn in a way to dilute Black votes. That ruling was put on hold while the litigation was pending and is used in the 2024 elections.

The high court said the ruling lacked evidence and the Black voting age population in the district stayed around 17% despite increasing the Republican voter majority.

The justices reasoned that partisan gerrymanders — so long as race isn’t the predominant factor when drawing district lines — don’t violate the Constitution.

“None of the facts on which the District Court relied to infer a racial motive is sufficient to support an inference that can overcome the presumption of legislative good faith,” wrote Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. for the majority.

He was joined by the high court’s other GOP appointees.

The three Democratic appointees dissented, arguing that since the district court’s analysis was thorough and the three-judge panel unanimously found that race was a motive in redrawing District 1, the lines should have to be redrawn.

“The proper response to this case is not to throw up novel roadblocks enabling South Carolina to continue dividing citizens along racial lines.  It is to respect the plausible — no, the more than plausible — findings of the District Court that the state engaged in race-based districting.  And to tell the state that it must redraw District 1, this time without targeting African American citizens,” wrote Justice Elena Kagan, who was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson in her dissent.

Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina Republican, represents the 1st Congressional District.

More than 30,000 Black Democrats had their votes shifted to the 6th Congressional District, represented by Jim Clyburn, when the map was drawn.

• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.