REUTERS/Paul Ratje/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 6 (Reuters) - A New Mexico judge on Friday rejected a Republican challenge to the state's Democratic-drawn congressional lines, improving the odds Democrats will maintain their hold on all three of the state's districts in next year's election. The Republican state party, which brought the lawsuit, said it would appeal the decision with the New Mexico Supreme Court. "The legislature intended to and, in fact, did egregiously gerrymander the congressional maps," said state Republican party chairman Steve Pearce in a statement. Earlier this week, a federal court approved new congressional lines for Alabama after finding a Republican-created map illegally hurt Black voters. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments next week over whether South Carolina's Republican-drawn congressional map unlawfully diluted the power of Black voters.

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Persons: Paul Ratje, Fred Van Soelen, Gabe Vasquez, Van Soelen, egregiously, Steve Pearce, Joseph Ax, Andrew Hay, Colleen Jenkins, David Gregorio, Chris Reese Organizations: Center, REUTERS, Republican, Democratic, U.S . House, Judicial, District, Democrat, Democrats, New, New Mexico Supreme, The U.S, Supreme, South Carolina's Republican, Thomson Locations: Dona Ana, Las Cruces , New Mexico, U.S, Mexico, New Mexico, Alabama, The