Maryland Supreme Court Sends Redistricting Amendment to Voters, With Rewritten Language

By EditorSep 07, 20260 Comments

The Supreme Court of Maryland ruled on September 3 that a proposed constitutional amendment on congressional redistricting will appear on the November ballot, reversing two circuit courts that had blocked it. The amendment would supersede a 2022 circuit court ruling by Judge Lynne Battaglia that applied the Maryland Constitution's compactness and contiguity requirements to congressional districts for the first time, standards previously understood to govern only state legislative districts. Senate President Bill Ferguson cited that ruling when he declined to have a Senate vote on a House-passed congressional map in February. The amendment (HB 2100) is intended to remove the…

Maryland, State Lawscaseupdates, Latest, Maryland, mid-decade redistricting

Galveston County, TX – A County Commission Map Fight With National Consequences

By EditorSep 07, 20260 Comments

The litigation over Galveston County's precinct maps - the term Texas law uses for county commissioner, justice of the peace, and constable districts - is closely watched for its implications for voting rights law, in particular the viability of minority coalition claims under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The lead case is Petteway v. Galveston County, which includes claims of intentional discrimination and racial gerrymandering under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments that remain pending in federal court, and a separate dispute over district/precinct boundaries the county adopted in June 2026 is proceeding in state court. A summary of…

FEATURES, Texascaseupdates, lawindepth, racial gerrymandering, Texas, Voting Rights Act

Missouri Supreme Court Blocks 2025 Congressional Map, Orders Referendum

By EditorSep 05, 20260 Comments

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously on September 3 that the state's 2025 congressional map cannot be used in the November election and that voters must approve it by referendum. Writing for the court, Judge Ginger Gooch held that the Missouri Constitution's provision authorizing a referendum on "any act of the general assembly" contains no exception for redistricting because the plain language of the Missouri Constitution authorizes a referendum for any act of the general assembly, and no existing exception applies. The decision reverses Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green, who had ruled in August that the federal Elections Clause…

Case Updates, Missouricaseupdates, Latest, mid-decade redistricting, Missouri

Missouri Judge Blocks Redistricting Referendum From November Ballot. Appeal Filed

By EditorAug 21, 20260 Comments

A Missouri judge has ruled that the state's congressional map cannot be put to a referendum vote. On August 19, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green upheld Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' refusal to place the referendum on the November ballot, found Hoskins' decision lawful, and ordered that the 2025 map "remain in full force and effect for the 2026 general election." Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the map into law on September 28, 2025, after calling the Republican-led General Assembly into a special session in response to President Trump's request that GOP-controlled states redraw their congressional boundaries before the midterms.…

Redistrictingcaseupdates, Latest, lawindepth, mid-decade redistricting, Missouri, referendum

Federal Court Panel Clears Tennessee Congressional Map for the 2026 Primaries

By EditorJul 26, 2026

A three-judge federal panel denied the ACLU's request for a preliminary injunction in Sherman v. Hargett, allowing Tennessee's redrawn map, which splits majority-Black Memphis into three districts, to be used in the August 6 primary. The panel, composed of two Trump-appointed judges and one Obama appointee, concluded the evidence pointed to partisan politics rather than race as the driving force, writing that plaintiffs "haven't presented meaningful evidence that race, not politics, motivated Tennessee's May 2026 map." The per curiam opinion also cited the Purcell principle, stating "the public is better served by a map created by its elected representatives, not…

Tennesseecaseupdates, mid-decade redistricting, Tennessee

Supreme Court’s Emergency Order Restores Alabama’s 2023 Congressional Map

By EditorJun 04, 2026

The Supreme Court on Tuesday night allowed Alabama to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, blocking a lower court ruling that the map intentionally discriminates against Black voters. The justices granted the state's emergency appeal to use a map it adopted in 2023 that has a majority-Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts. The three liberal justices dissented. The ruling takes effect immediately, meaning Alabama will use its 2023 map for its August 11 special primary elections covering the affected congressional districts. Unlike many shadow docket orders, the majority provided some explanation in…

Redistricting LitigationAlabama, caseupdates, Latest, mid-decade redistricting

NAACP Loses State Court Battle Over Tennessee’s Redrawn Map – But Federal Fight Continues

By EditorMay 28, 2026

On May 26, a three-judge panel in state court dismissed a challenge to Tennessee's 2026 congressional map and election law changes, ruling in favor of state officials and leaving the new congressional map in place. The lawsuit was filed by the NAACP Tennessee State Conference and other petitioners, arguing that legislation passed during the special session, which included a new congressional map, changes to election procedures, and the repeal of a ban on mid-decade redistricting, violated the Tennessee Constitution and state law. In its order, the court wrote that "the sovereign State of Tennessee is immune from lawsuits "except as…

Tennesseecaseupdates, mid-decade redistricting, Tennessee

Missouri’s Congressional Map Survives Another Legal Challenge, but the Referendum Fight Is Still Alive

By EditorMay 28, 2026

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on May 27 that Gov. Mike Kehoe acted within his constitutional authority when he convened the special legislative session that produced the state's new congressional map, rejecting a legal challenge brought by the Missouri NAACP. In a unanimous opinion, the court held that the governor has broad authority to determine when and for what purpose to call the legislature into an "extraordinary" session, affirming the judgment of the lower trial court. The ruling closes out one of three legal tracks challenging Missouri's new map. The referendum signature dispute remains pending in state court, with Secretary…

Missouricaseupdates, mid-decade redistricting, Missouri

Court Declines to Block Florida’s GOP Map, Setting Up Longer Legal Fight

By EditorMay 26, 2026

A Leon County Circuit Judge ruled today, keeping Florida's mid-decade congressional map in place while the lawsuits continue and election officials prepare for the 2026 races. The judge found that plaintiffs had not shown a substantial likelihood of success, writing that the evidence presented so far was circumstantial and not direct proof of illegal intent. Plaintiffs already filed notices of appeal, and the lawsuits will continue to trial. The lawsuit alleges that the GOP-controlled Legislature and Governor DeSantis enacted a map that violates the State's 2010 Fair Districts Amendments, which prohibit drawing congressional (and state legislative) districts that favor incumbents…

Floridacaseupdates, Florida, mid-decade redistricting

Court Rules Alabama Must Use Court-Drawn Map for 2026

By EditorMay 26, 2026

A federal three-judge panel has once again blocked Alabama from using its 2023 congressional map, ordering the state to use a race-blind court-drawn plan for its 2026 elections. The court ordered Secretary of State Wes Allen to administer Alabama's remaining 2026 congressional elections, including the August special primaries, using the map previously imposed by the court, which created a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. The ruling came after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the court's earlier permanent injunction and ordered the panel to reconsider in light of Louisiana v. Callais. The…

AlabamaAlabama, caseupdates, mid-decade redistricting