SCOTUS News
Alexander v. S.C. State Conference of the NAACP
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on October 11th in a case concerning South Carolina’s congressional map. Plaintiffs successfully argued before a three judge panel that SC-01 was a racial gerrymander and should be redrawn. South Carolina appealed. Some court watchers think the Court will find for the state.
National News
Dave’s Redistricting
The popular Dave’s Redistricting website is now sponsored by a liberal non-profit called the Social Good Fund. The revised Terms of Use are available here.
Redistricting News
Redistricting court battles continue to shape the 2024 battlefield for control of Congress and state legislatures.
A recent ruling in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals found that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act does not give private parties a right to sue. The 5th Circuit will consider whether coalition districts are protected under the VRA.
ProPublica looked at how the GOP used legislative and attorney-client privileges to keep redistricting work secret.
Census News
The Census Bureau released the “Noisy Measurement File” for the 2020 Census and 2022 State-to-State Migration Flow Statistics. State-level population estimates that can be used for forecasting the 2030 Apportionment should be available by the end of 2023.
State News
Alabama
After the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Alabama the district court selected a remedial congressional map for 2024. Elected officials described the map as a racial gerrymander imposed by judges overstepping their roles.
Florida
A Florida appeals court reversed a district court judge and reinstated Florida’s congressional map after hearing the case a month earlier.
Georgia
A federal district court judge ordered Georgia to redraw its congressional and legislative maps. The state moved to appeal the ruling while also proceeding to enact new maps for 2024 during a special session. New maps tee up a major question for the federal courts – which voters are protected by the VRA and under what circumstances.
Kentucky
The Kentucky Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a partisan gerrymandering case brought by the Kentucky Democratic Party.
Louisiana
Following a complicated series legal maneuvers the state was given until mid-January to enact a new congressional map if it chose to do so. The deadline was extended to the end of January.
Nevada
Two new proposed ballot measures seek to create an independent redistricting commission for congressional and legislative redistricting.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s Supreme Court ruled that New Hampshire courts cannot review partisan gerrymandering challenges.
New Mexico
New Mexico’s Supreme Court upheld a district court’s finding that the congressional map was a partisan gerrymander, but was not egregious enough to be unconstitutional.
New York
The New York Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in a case that could lead to a redraw of the state’s congressional map.
545,000 New Yorkers left the state last year.
North Carolina
The state’s legislature enacted new legislative and congressional maps. Lawsuits were subsequently filed against the senate and congressional plans. The senate case is not off to a good start for plaintiffs.
North Dakota
A federal judge ruled the state’s legislative map violated the VRA. The state has appealed the decision. A separate 14th Amendment challenge was dismissed.
Ohio
National Democrats tried to get the Ohio Supreme Court to review the state’s new legislative maps. The court declined the invitation.
Tennessee
The legislature improperly numbered senate districts in the Nashville area and will need to either renumber or redraw them.
Wisconsin
Justice Protasiewicz declined to recuse herself from a set of challenges to Wisconsin’s legislative maps. Speaker Vos continues to view impeachment as an option. The court’s new liberal majority heard oral arguments in the case and is openly considering how they can be redrawn.
Wisconsin’s congressional map is not at issue in the litigation.
ARP Updates
Litigation
New filings are available for dozens of active cases.