Judges Declare Ohio's Congressional Map Unconstitutional

[Ohiogal]

By DAN SEWELL, Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — A federal court ruled Friday that Ohio's congressional map is unconstitutional and ordered a new one be drawn for the 2020 elections.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati ruled unanimously that district boundaries were manipulated for partisan gain by Republican mapmakers and violates voters' rights to democratically select their representatives. The ruling blocks Ohio from holding another election under the current map.

The ruling is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the judges ordered that the state propose a new map by June 20.

Voters' rights and Democratic groups who sued Ohio Republican officials said redistricting completed after the 2010 Census yielded a statewide map that has produced an unbending 12-4 Republican advantage in Ohio's delegation. Republicans said the map was drawn with bipartisan support. They also pointed out that a new map will be drawn anyway after the 2020 Census.

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-05-03/judges-declare-ohios-congressional-map-unconstitutional

*****************

Thank God for our courts! (using the word "God" just like Trumpy said we are allowed to now) lol

[Botany]

1. You wouldn't know by looking @ the # of Congressional seats from OH that we ....

.... have just as many if not more Ds than Rs. Both Obama and Sherrod Brown won OH
in 2012 by comfortable margins but 11 or 12 of the House races all went R.

[spooky3]

3. We have a similar problem in VA. I am glad to see the

judges making the right decision.

[moonscape]

2. Not sure how nervous they need to be with

this Supreme Court.

[FBaggins]

7. Even without it

Don't they control the redistricting process in OH anyway? Telling them to draw new lines just means "hide it better".

[moonscape]

10. Good point! n/t

[LakeArenal]

4. Good news for you!!!

Pukes appealed and blocked our redistricting. F^•*ers.

[Ohiogal]

5. I really feel for you Wisconsin people.

You guys really got screwed. Dirty, rotten f***ers is right.

And I'm sure they'll fight drawing a new map here in Ohio, as well.

But right now, I am filled with optimism. Ohio really isn't as red as our district reps make it look.

[LakeArenal]

6. Yeah we have a load here. But one step at a time.

Happy one day at a time.

[StarfishSaver]

8. A unanimous decision with one of the judges a Bush aappointee

Excellent!

[FakeNoose]

9. This is awesome! Congratulations Ohio Democrats

We in western Pennsylvania feel like Ohio is our sister-state. We've been going through this together.

[Ohiogal]

14. Back atcha

I wish we had a nice Dem governor like your Gov. Wolfe instead of the cretin we're stuck with.

[UTUSN]

11. Hip hip!1 Gotta save the courts!

[gratuitous]

12. Yep, Republicans caught again

And here's what will happen next. The Republicans will start running out the clock, first with a request for reconsideration, then a request for a review by the full panel, then on to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile that June 20 deadline will come and go without any action by the Republican-controlled legislature, and the panel that ordered the map will decline to force a new map or draw a new map on their own because the matter is still on appeal.

Ohio will be stuck with the unconstitutional map until it's too late, and using the "not fair" principle, the governor and the legislature will say that the old map has to be used because it wouldn't be fair to the candidates to change it so close to the 2020 election day. So the 2020 election will be held under the auspices of the unconstitutional map, and what do you know! Republicans maintain their majorities. But they'll get right to work on a congressional map for 2022, which will be as bad as the present map (or worse). A lawsuit will be filed, and a panel of judges will decide that, yeah, it's still an unconstitutional gerrymander, which will bring us right back to where we are today.

Play it again, Sam.

[smirkymonkey]

13. K&R