CASE SUMMARY

On January 20, 2022, a group of Michigan voters filed a federal lawsuit against Michigan’s Secretary of State, the state’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and its Commissioners challenging the adopted congressional redistricting plan as violating the U.S. Constitution. Plaintiffs alleged the plan was malapportioned in violation of the one person, one vote requirement under Article I, § 2 of the U.S. Constitution, citing inadequate justifications for the plan’s deviation and the fact a plan with near zero population deviations was possible. They also argued the Commissioners inconsistently and arbitrarily applied the state constitution’s redistricting criteria when drawing districts in violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. They sought a judicial declaration the plan was unconstitutional, an injunction barring the plan from use in future elections, and for the court to set a deadline for the Commission to adopt a remedial plan and, if they fail, to adopt one itself.

  • On March 4, 2022, the federal district court dismissed the plaintiffs’ Equal Protection claim, finding judicial review of claims involving divided "communities of interest” posed the same vagueness and partisan fairness issues as partisan gerrymandering claims and they should therefore be treated as nonjusticiable in federal courts as well.
  • On April 1, 2022, the court denied the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction. Plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on April 29, 2022.
  • On November 7, 2022, SCOTUS issued an order dismissing the appeal as moot. Plaintiffs filed a stipulation of voluntarily dismissal with the district court on January 14, 2023.

CASE LIBRARY

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division - No. 1:22-cv-54

U.S. Supreme Court - No. 22-92 [Formerly No. 21A831]