The Ohio Supreme Court struck down GOP-drawn state House and Senate district maps as unconstitutional gerrymandering in a 4-3 decision Wednesday, sending the maps back to the drawing board.
Advocates of redistricting reform hailed the decision as a resounding victory for Ohio voters who overwhelmingly approved changes to the state constitution to limit partisan line-drawing in 2015.
“This ruling sends a clear message to lawmakers in Ohio: they may not put politics over people," said attorney Freda Levenson, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, who argued for opponents of the maps.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the Ohio Redistricting Commission – which is tasked with drawing legislative maps and dominated by Republicans – could not ignore parts of the Ohio Constitution that required them to attempt to match the statewide voting preferences of voters, according to the court's majority opinion, written by Justice Melody Stewart.
Those preferences, according to Stewart's opinion, were 54% for Republican candidates and 46% for Democratic candidates over the past decade. [snip]
On Sept. 16, Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved maps that would allow the GOP to retain its veto-proof majority in the state Legislature over the objections of the commission's two Democrats.
According to Huffman, R-Lima, the maps could give Republicans a 62-37 advantage in the House and 23-10 advantage in the Senate.
Credit where due, the deciding vote was by Republican Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor. But give huge credit to the National Redistricting Action Fund, Marc Elias, and Ohio voters.
It's a BFD --
Hugely-consequential ruling -- perhaps the most significant of the redistricting cycle so far. Ohio Republicans basically ignored a constitutional amendment voters adopted in 2015 requiring more fairness in drawing maps. Ohio supreme court today is stepping in to enforce it. https://t.co/tXD2k01azu
— Sam Levine (@srl) January 12, 2022
(Cartoon: John Cole, NCPolicyWatch.com)
