Republicans in the increasingly purple state of North Carolina celebrated a state Supreme Court ruling this week that could hand them additional seats in Congress.

On Friday, the North Carolina Supreme Court issued several significant rulings regarding elections, including the reinstatement of a voter ID law and the preservation of Republican-led redistricting maps.

The decisions were made possible by the shift in the court’s composition from a 4-3 Democratic majority to a 5-2 Republican majority following the November elections. The voter ID law, which was enacted in 2018, had previously been invalidated due to allegations of it unfairly discriminating against minorities, the Daily Wire reported.

“The people of North Carolina overwhelmingly support voter identification and other efforts to promote greater integrity and confidence in our elections. Subjective tests and judicial sleight of hand have systematically thwarted the will of the people and the intent of the legislature,” wrote the court’s Republican majority regarding the voter ID case.

“But no court exists for the vindication of political interests, and judges exceed constitutional boundaries when they act as a super-legislature,” the decision continued. “Plaintiffs here have failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that S.B. 824 was enacted with discriminatory intent or that the law actually produces a meaningful disparate impact along racial lines.”

The ruling on the redistricting maps noted that the state constitution did not include provisions on whether the state legislature could or could not draw partisan maps.

“Our constitution expressly assigns the redistricting authority to the General Assembly subject to explicit limitations in the text. Those limitations do not address partisan gerrymandering,” the court wrote.

The decision on redistricting could potentially give Republicans an advantage in the 2024 congressional elections in North Carolina, as the Republican supermajority now has the authority to draw the state’s maps.

“The decisions handed down today by the NC Supreme Court have ensured that our constitution and the will of the people of North Carolina are honored. Nearly five years after the voters of this state overwhelmingly voted in favor of photo ID at the polls, it has finally become the law of the land. We will fulfill our constitutional duty to redraw state house, senate, and congressional maps,” North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore said.

n another ruling related to elections, the court overturned a trial court’s decision and ruled that felons must finish their probation and parole to regain their voting rights.