Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) greets supporters after defeating Renee Ellmers in the Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether Republican lawmakers in North Carolina relied too heavily on race when they redrew the state's map. | AP Photo Supreme Court to consider North Carolina redistricting

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether North Carolina's 2011 Congressional redistricting plan violated the Constitution by relying too heavily on race in drawing district boundaries.

Orders released Monday — the high court's last official meeting day of the term — said the justices will take up the redistricting struck down by a lower court in a 2-1 ruling in February of this year.


That same month, the shorthanded, eight-justice Supreme Court refused to step in to relieve the state's obligation to redraw the boundaries. The denial of the stay was one of the court's first official actions following the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Five justices are needed to grant such a stay, but only four are needed to add a case to the court's docket.

The North Carolina legislature also approved a new map in February, but delayed the primary election until June to give candidates and voters time to adjust to the new districts.

The latest revision of the map is expected to preserve a 10-to-3 Republican-Democratic split in the state’s U.S. House delegation.