New York Redistricting Maps Thrown Out by State Trial Court. Congressional Map Declared Partisan Gerrymander

New York Redistricting Maps Thrown Out by State Trial Court. Congressional Map Declared Partisan Gerrymander

By EditorApr 01, 2022
On Thursday, Mar. 31, a New York trial court invalidated the legislature's 2022 congressional and state legislative maps. The decision was primarily grounded in the procedural requirements of New York's state constitution, which the court said the legislature violated when it adopted maps of its own after the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) failed to produce a second set of maps. Read the opinion. According to the court, the constitutional provision creating the IRC allowed the legislature to draw maps only after the IRC submits 2 sets of maps and the legislature rejects them. The IRC deadlocked in Jan of 2022…
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Maryland State Court Throws Out 2021 Congressional Map Citing Extreme Gerrymandering

By EditorMar 27, 2022
On Friday, the Senior Judge of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County signed an order prohibiting use of the congressional map that the Maryland legislature approved - over a gubernatorial veto - during a special session in December 2021. State officials were given five days to redraw the map. The legislature is currently in session until April 11. There is no word on whether the state will appeal. Read the order and opinion. The ruling concerned consolidated cases against the map by several plaintiffs and is notable as it makes Maryland among the first few states to fall victim…
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U.S. Supreme Court Denies Request to Block North Carolina Court’s Congressional Map

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Request to Block North Carolina Court’s Congressional Map

By EditorMar 08, 2022
On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court denied an emergency application for a stay of the North Carolina State supreme court's decision to invalidate the congressional map that the legislature enacted in 2021 and the state trial court's decision to block a second map enacted by the legislature on February 17. If the high court had granted an emergency stay, the upcoming 2022 elections would have been conducted under the legislature's Feb. 17 map, while the court considered the case for a decision at some later date. Read the court's order. Map and Court Decision Timeline Feb. 23 2022: A state…
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Kansas Congressional Map Gets 2 Challenges in State Court

Kansas Congressional Map Gets 2 Challenges in State Court

By EditorFeb 16, 2022
On Tuesday Feb. 14, two challenges to the controversial "Ad Astra 2" Kansas congressional map were filed in state court. The lawsuits were brought about by individual Democratic voters, civic organizations, and the ACLU of Kansas. Republicans in the Kansas House and Senate successfully overrode Democratic governor Laura Kelly's veto of the map on Feb. 9. Read the cases here. Rivera v. Schwab and Alonzo v. Schwab. The cases challenge the map on state constitutional partisan gerrymandering, minority vote dilution, and racial discrimination grounds. Both lawsuits focus on congressional lines in and around Wyandotte County, described in the complaint as…
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Idaho Supreme Court Upholds New Congressional Map Against State Law Based Challenge

By EditorFeb 13, 2022
On Friday (Feb. 11) the Idaho Supreme Court rejected the only legal challenge filed against the state's new congressional map. Earlier, in January, the court rejected four challenges to the newly enacted state legislative map. This now clears the way for Idaho's May 17 primary election to proceed as scheduled. Read the unanimous opinion here. Read Media Coverage in the Idaho Capital Sun, and the Idaho Press. View the interactive congressional and state legislative maps here: Congressional / State Legislative Find us on:
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OH Supreme Court Rejects Ohio Commission Maps for a 2nd Time. Describes Their Efforts as “Misguided.”

By EditorFeb 07, 2022
The Ohio Supreme Court on Monday rejected a 2nd revised map of state Senate and House districts drawn by the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The first map was invalidated by the court on Jan 12. The latest maps, adopted by the commission on Jan. 22nd, still violate state constitutional provisions prohibiting maps that favor any one political party according to the court. The commission must adopt a 3rd plan and file it with the court by February 18, 2022. Read the order here. The court interprets the state constitution's proportionality standard to mean that any map should reflect the average voting…
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North Carolina Supreme Court Rejects Legislature’s 2021 Redistricting Maps. Redraw Ordered.

By EditorFeb 06, 2022
On Friday, the North Carolina State Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that upheld the legislature's 2021 congressional and state legislative maps against both racial and partisan gerrymandering claims. The court ordered the General Assembly to submit remedial maps for review to the trial court on or before Feb. 18 at 5:00 p.m. The trial court must approve or adopt compliant congressional and state legislative districting plans no later than noon on Feb. 23 2022. Read the Order. The State Supreme Court accepted and agreed with the trial court's assessment that the maps were a partisan gerrymander. The difference…
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New Mexico Republicans Challenge New Congressional Map in State Court as a Partisan Gerrymander

By EditorJan 29, 2022
On Jan 21, New Mexico Republicans filed a partisan gerrymandering challenge in the 5th Judicial District Court. In contrast, the chair of the state Democratic Party released a statement applauding the congressional map stating "these maps create fair districts that bridge the urban-rural divide, include strong Hispanic and Native voices, and better represent communities throughout New Mexico." Read the lawsuit here. In October 2021, the New Mexico Citizens Redistricting Committee released several congressional maps for the legislature's consideration. The Committee is an independent, statutory, non-partisan body tasked to develop and propose district maps for New Mexico’s Congressional delegation, the state…
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Idaho Supreme Court Upholds Reapportionment Commission’s State Legislative District Map

By EditorJan 28, 2022
On Thursday, Jan 27 the Idaho Supreme Court upheld the state legislative district map against four challenges. In a unanimous opinion, the court backed the Idaho Reapportionment Commission's decision to split a total of 8 counties in drawing district lines, as well as how the commission dealt with various tribal communities. Read the decision. From the Opinion In regards to equal protection: "petitioners failed to meet their burden of showing that the Commission unreasonably determined that eight county splits were necessary to afford Idaho’s citizens equal protection of the law. Therefore, they have failed to demonstrate that the Plan violates…
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Listen: Wisconsin State Supreme Court Oral Argument in Redistricting Challenge

Listen: Wisconsin State Supreme Court Oral Argument in Redistricting Challenge

By EditorJan 24, 2022
On Nov 18, 2021, Dem. Governor Tony Evers vetoed the congressional and state Senate and House maps passed by the Wisconsin legislature a week earlier. The State Supreme Court took jurisdiction and heard oral arguments on Jan 19, 2022. Listen to the argument below. Learn more about the case in the case library. The court decided in November to take the approach of redrawing the maps as minimally as possible to comply with state and federal law as opposed to drawing districts from scratch. According to the Wisconsin Examiner, the justices "focused their questions on how to balance competing interests…
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