The U.S. Supreme Court said it will decide on Jan. 10, 2025, whether to hear an unusual racial gerrymandering appeal from North Dakota. The court made the announcement about the case known as Walen v. Burgum in a docket entry on Dec. 24. The lead appellee is former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, who is being sued in his official capacity. Burgum’s term ended on Dec. 15. President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, has nominated Burgum to be U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Burgum will likely be replaced as a litigant with the new Republican governor, Kelly Armstrong, which is the usual practice when a government official leaves office midway through a lawsuit….