Minnesota Judicial Panel Releases State’s New Congressional and Legislative Maps for the Decade

Minnesota Judicial Panel Releases State’s New Congressional and Legislative Maps for the Decade

By EditorFeb 15, 2022
On Tuesday Feb. 15, a 5-member Minnesota Judicial Branch Special Redistricting Panel formed in 2021, adopted a congressional and state legislative district map. The court released its final orders for both the congressional and legislative map and explained the panel's approach to redrawing the maps. That approach was to make as few changes as possible to satisfy legal requirements since courts must perform redistricting in a restrained manner as opposed to legislatures who have more "political authority." The court further explained "We are not positioned to draw entirely new congressional districts, as the legislature could choose to do. Rather, we…
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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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U.S. Supreme Court Sides with Alabama in Voting Rights Act Case Against its Congressional Map, Issues a Stay Order.

By EditorFeb 07, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday announced that it will allow Alabama to hold elections under its newly enacted congressional map despite a federal trial court's order to redraw the map to add a second majority Black district. Read the order here. In a 5-4 vote, the court granted Alabama's application for a stay from the trial court's decision invalidating the map under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The 4 Justices in the minority would have allowed the 2022 election to go forward in Alabama with a remedial map as the three-judge trial court had ordered. Justice…
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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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Michigan Supreme Court Upholds Maps Against Minority Vote Dilution Challenge

By EditorFeb 05, 2022
On Thursday, Feb. 3, the Michigan State Supreme Court upheld the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission's maps against a minority vote dilution challenge under Section 2 Voting Rights Act (VRA). Read the Court's opinion/order here. According to the opinion, that decision mostly hinged on the plaintiff's failure to show that any of the Gingle's preconditions were met to establish a Sec. 2 violation. In other words, the was no specific evidence offered by the plaintiffs that Black voters would not be able to elect the candidate of their choice. The crux of the plaintiff's argument, the court explained, was that…
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Watch: Connecticut Supreme Court Oral Argument in Congressional Map Case

Watch: Connecticut Supreme Court Oral Argument in Congressional Map Case

By EditorJan 30, 2022
On Thursday, Jan. 27 the Connecticut state Supreme Court heard arguments from lawyers for both Democrats and Republicans on the Reapportionment Commission about whether the special master's congressional map should be approved by the court. Watch the oral argument below. The Reapportionment commission missed two deadlines (one statutory deadline and an extended deadline by the court) to agree on a map. A special master was appointed on Dec 28 of last year; Nathaniel Persily (Stanford Law). Read the Special Master's report. Find us on:
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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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Alabama Appeals Congressional Map Decision to U.S. Supreme Court

By EditorJan 28, 2022
On Friday, Jan 28, the state of Alabama filed a motion for an administrative stay to the U.S. Supreme Court as well as a request for an appeal directly to the court from Monday's ruling of a three-judge federal district court. The panel of judges had enjoined the use of the newly drawn Alabama congressional district map on its finding that the map likely violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The federal district court panel concluded last week that the congressional map should have 2 majority-Black districts (or districts in which Black voters would be able to choose…
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Alabama Federal Court Blocks Congressional Map on Voting Rights Act Grounds. Gives Legislature 2 Week Deadline

By EditorJan 25, 2022
On Monday an Alabama Federal District Court blocked the new congressional map enacted in November of last year. The order gives the legislature 14 days to enact a new map that the court advises should include " either an additional majority-Black congressional district, or an additional district in which Black voters otherwise have an opportunityto elect a representative of their choice." Read the opinion here. Alabama's congressional map has had one majority-Black district since 1992 (District 7), and the map adopted in 2021 retained that district. Plaintiffs had argued that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act applies in this…
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