Last week was a busy one in the states for redistricting. It brought two new sets of maps and three lawsuits.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted a 2nd set of Senate and House maps by a 5-2 vote on Jan 22. The maps will be effective only for a 4-yr period (as opposed to the usual 10) because the map did not pass with the requisite bipartisan support required under state law. On Jan 14th the state Supreme Court invalidated Ohio’s 2021 congressional map, giving the commission just 10 days to adopt another.
The Connecticut Reapportionment failed to meet its deadline to adopt a congressional map. The court appointed a special master (Professor Nathaniel Persily of Stanford Law) to redraw the districts in late December and on Jan 18 the special master released this final report and map.
Three new lawsuits were filed at the end of last week. First, in Kentucky, Democrats sued after the Republican legislature overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the congressional and state House district maps over partisan gerrymandering concerns. Read the lawsuit here. In Michigan, a federal lawsuit challenging the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s newly adopted congressional map was filed last week. It is focused on unconstitutionally large district deviations. Read the complaint. Finally, in New Mexico, Republicans filed a partisan gerrymandering challenge in state court to the congressional district map enacted earlier this month.
Find us on:
