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By Dareh Gregorian
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday blocked lower court rulings that invalidated, as partisan gerrymanders, Ohio’s map for congressional districts and Michigan’s maps for congressional and state legislative districts.
The high court’s orders put on hold efforts in both states to redraw their electoral maps ahead of the 2020 elections, a remedy ordered by the lower courts.
In the Ohio case, a three-judge panel ruled unanimously earlier this month that the district map drawn up by the Republican-controlled legislature unconstitutionally discriminated against Democrats. “We are convinced by the evidence that this partisan gerrymander was intentional,” the ruling said.
The Michigan ruling in April had found that the votes of Democrats were unconstitutionally diluted.
Ohio lawmakers had been ordered to draw new districts by June 14, and Michigan lawmakers had been ordered to do so by August 1.
The justices did not rule on the merits of the cases in its Friday order. The Supreme Court is currently considering two other gerrymandering cases in North Carolina and Maryland. In March, the justices heard challenges to congressional redistricting plans that locked in an advantage for Republicans in North Carolina and that gave an extra seat to Democrats in Maryland.
Decisions in those cases are expected by late June.