Once again, the Ohio Supreme Court has blocked a Republican-led redistricting proposal.
Once again, the Ohio Supreme Court has blocked a Republican-led redistricting proposal.
Background: In mid-January, the Ohio Supreme Court accused Republicans of intentionally drawing congressional redistricting lines to favor the GOP.
According to previous reports, At least 12 of Ohio’s 16 congressional districts would have favored Republicans under the legislature’s proposed map.
[Read Next: Ohio Supreme Court Blocks Reublican-drawn Redistricting Proposal]
What Happened: On Monday, the Ohio Supreme Court voted 4-3 that the Ohio Redistricting Commission must create a new proposal by Feb. 17th saying the current proposal is unconstitutional.
Context: In a state where President Donald Trump beat Democratic nominee Joe Biden 54% to 46% in 2020, the latest map the court rejected would likely have produced a 57-42 advantage in the state House and a 20-13 edge in the state Senate. The map rejected in January aimed to make the GOP state House edge 62-37 and 23-10 in the state Senate. (per The Washington Examiner)
What the Majority Says: The court said in its majority opinion, “The revised plan does not attempt to closely correspond to that constitutionally defined ratio. Our instruction to the commission is—simply—to comply with the Constitution.”
What Dissenters Say: The court’s three Republican justices Pat DeWine, Pat Fischer, and Sharon Kennedy said they would have upheld the previous proposal.
The justices said the state’s constitution does not give the court authority to enforce political standards.