The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the state’s congressional district map Friday, saying Republicans violated the Ohio Constitution by drawing districts that favored GOP candidates.
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor …
The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the state’s congressional district map Friday, saying Republicans violated the Ohio Constitution by drawing districts that favored GOP candidates. Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor was, once again, a key vote in the 4-3 decision to reject the map, which could have given Republicans as much as a 12-3 advantage in a state that voted for President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump, twice. That violated language overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2018 to prevent a map that unduly favored one party or its incumbents. “When the dealer stacks the deck in advance, the house usually wins,” wrote Justice Michael Donnelly in the court’s opinion. Read the opinion below. Now, Ohio lawmakers will be sent back to the drawing board to craft a new map within 30 days. If they can’t reach a solution, the Ohio Redistricting Commission – a panel of statewide elected officials and state lawmakers – will have 30 days to do so. Mapmakers face a tight turnaround because candidates must file paperwork to run by March 4. Those who pushed for redistricting reform cheered the decision as a victory for democracy. The decision came just two days after the Ohio Supreme Court struck down state House and Senate maps for partisan gerrymandering. “Once again, Ohio’s high court steps in to defend the Ohio Constitution, our representative democracy, and the right of every Ohio to have fair districts,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “We call on the Ohio General Assembly to finally put voters first, rather than their short-sighted and selfish political interests.” The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Republican lawmakers gerrymandered a map that favored GOP candidates over Democratic ones.
