Summary

House Speaker Mike Johnson will face the same struggle that plagued his predecessor, a narrow GOP majority. He will have to protect it in next year's elections and redistricting could complicate that. North Carolina has new congressional maps and a judge tossed out Georgia's maps. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Mark Niesse of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Rusty Jacobs of WUNC Public Radio.

For a transcript, click here.

Time codes

0:33 — Interview with journalist Mark Niesse on Georgia redistricting

2:28 — Interview with journalist Rusty Jacobs on North Carolina redistricting

5:17 — Both journalists discuss court cases around redistricting

News wrap alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

Warm up questions

• Who is the new House Speaker?
• What is the reason behind the lawsuit in Georgia?
• When is the deadline for drawing new congressional maps in Georgia?
• Why is the North Carolina redistricting case likely to end up in court?
• How has the U.S. Supreme Court previously ruled in cases involving the Voting Rights Act?

Focus questions

What impact is the redistricting in North Carolina expected to have on the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans? What do you think would be a fair system of districting?

Media literacy: Can you find historical examples of how the Voting Rights Act has influenced the redistricting process in the United States?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?

For more

What students can do: Discuss as a class — why do some individuals, like Wiley Nickel from Raleigh, believe that the new maps in North Carolina are an extreme partisan gerrymander?

Check out this lesson plan on understanding the structure of congress: link.

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