A quite interesting decision.
After the 2010 census, the Wake County school board redistricted itself creating 9 districts within 1% deviation. The board of commissioners followed suit. After Democrats took control of both boards, the
legislature redrew the districts, creating a plan with 7 single-member districts, and two additional overlay districts that covered the entire county. The relative deviation was much greater, but less than 10%.
The majority of the 4th Circuit differentiated this case from the Mathismander cases decided by the Supreme Court decision, as the plaintiffs not proving their case of a partisan gerrymander; in the present case the Appeals Court overturned the decision of the district court, the trier of fact (i.e. the district court ruled that the plaintiffs had proved their case; while the appeals court ruled that they had