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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Redistricting Headlines Jan 17 2022: Ohio Maps Cancelled by Court. NC Map Decision Gets Appealed. PA Congressional Redistricting in Disarray.

By EditorJan 17, 2022

Redistricting Headlines for the week of January 10th 2022. Thie biggest news from last week comes from Ohio, where the State Supreme Court delivered a one-two punch to lawmakers by invalidating the state legislative district map on Wednesday and striking down the congressional map on Friday. It described the maps as "infused with undue partisan bias," and "incomprehensibly, more extremely biased than the 2011 plan that it replaced". This last point refers to the constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018, which banned partisan gerrymandering when redrawing maps. To encourage bipartisan line-drawing, the constitutional provision also called for maps to…

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In One-Two Punch, Ohio Supreme Court Invalidates New Congressional Map Just 2 Days After Striking House and Senate Districts

By EditorJan 15, 2022

On Friday, the Ohio State Supreme Court announced its decision to invalidate the Republican-drawn 2021 congressional map, explaining that it "stacks the deck" against the opposite party. Voters in 2018 amended the state's constitution to prohibit excessive partisan map-drawing and the court concluded that the new map was a product of just that. Read the opinion and excerpts below. The now invalidated map had failed to pass the legislature by a supermajority vote and thus under the constitution, it would have only been in effect for 4 years. With the court's ruling on Friday, the legislature will have 30 days…

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Ohio Supreme Court Invalidates 2021 Senate and House Maps. Gives Commission 10 Days to Draw New Maps

By EditorJan 12, 2022

On Wednesday, Jan. 12th, The Ohio Supreme Court invalidated Republican-drawn state House and Senate district maps as partisan gerrymandering under the Ohio Constitution. The justices struck down the maps in a 4-3 decision, sending the maps back to the Commission with just a 10-day window to redraw the maps. Read the opinion below. "We hold that the plan is invalid because the commission did not attempt to draw a plan that meets the proportionality standard in Article XI, Section 6(B). We also conclude that the commission did not attempt to draw a plan that meets the standard in Section 6(A)—that…

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North Carolina’s Redistricting Maps Upheld by State Trial Court

By EditorJan 12, 2022

On Wednesday, Jan. 11th a North Carolina state trial court upheld the congressional and state legislative maps drawn by the Republican-dominated legislature in Nov of 2021. Read the opinion and excerpts below. Here is a breakdown of the court's conclusions of law regarding each allegation: Partisan Gerrymandering in Violation of the NC Constitution's Free Elections Clause: "The Free Elections Clause does not operate as a restraint on the General Assembly’s ability to redistrict for partisan advantage." Equal Protection Clause of the NC Constitution: "The Court finds that the plans are amply supported by arational basis and thus do not violate…

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Redistricting Update: 7 States Poised to Pass Maps Soon

By EditorJan 11, 2022

It's the second week of the new year and 7 states are actively considering redistricting maps and poised to finalize a map or maps in the coming weeks. Here is a rundown. Kansas began its legislative session on the 10th and will take up congressional and state legislative redistricting, but likely at a much slower pace than most of the other states on this list. According to the Topeka-Capital Journal, "Kansas is one of only three states where no proposed maps have been publicly released . . . the equipment used for redistricting only arrived in the Statehouse in the…

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Watch: New York Redistricting Commission Deadlocks on Maps

By EditorJan 04, 2022

The New York State Independent Redistricting Commission met on Monday, Jan 3, but could not come to a consensus on any redistricting map. The members split 5-5 on votes for congressional, state senate, and state house maps. Instead, the commission sent two versions of each to the state legislature for consideration. The meeting was contentious at times. Watch the meeting below. The legislature must adopt one of the commission's maps by a two-thirds vote, if they do not adopt a map the commission will get a second chance at recommending a set of maps by a Feb. 28, 2022 deadline.…

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A Flurry of Redistricting Activity Happened Over the Holidays. Here is a Recap

By EditorJan 03, 2022

An incredible amount of redistricting activity occurred over the holidays in over 10 states. It's safe to say you missed most of it. Here is your post-holiday update. Map Adoptions 5 states adopted/enacted redistricting maps just before or after the Christmas holiday. This includes 3 independent citizens commissions, 1 state supreme court, and 1 enactment via a governor's signature. Arizona The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission adopted final congressional and state legislative maps on Dec. 22. The 5 member body voted unanimously for the congressional district map and approved the state legislative map on a 3-2 vote. Click here for interactive maps and media coverage,…

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Illinois Federal Court Rejects Voting Rights Act and Racial Gerrymandering Challenges to Legislature’s State Senate and House Maps

By EditorDec 31, 2021

On Thursday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued a per curiam opinion rejecting the claims of three groups of plaintiffs in the consolidated cases (McConchie, Contreras, and East St. Louis NAACP) against the state legislative district maps, which the legislature approved in September. The claims included allegations of racial gerrymandering and minority vote dilution in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In regards to the votings rights claims, the court characterized the plaintiff's view of the maps as a failure to "maximize" minority electoral success, and warned that the Supreme Court has…

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Arkansas State House Map Gets Voting Rights Act Challenge in Federal Court

By EditorDec 31, 2021

On Wednesday, the Arkansas State Conference NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel filed a lawsuit against the newly enacted Arkansas State House district map. The suit alleges minority vote dilution in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The case is Arkansas State Conf. NAACP v. Arkansas Bd. of Apportionment. Read the Complaint. PRESS RELEASE DECEMBER 29, 2021 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arkansas, Law Office of Bryan L. Sells LLC, and Dechert LLP filed a federal lawsuit today challenging a new redistricting plan for the Arkansas State House of Representatives that would undermine the voting strength of…

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