Case Summary
On November 15, 2019, two Oklahoma voters filed a petition with the Oklahoma Supreme Court challenging Initiative Petition 420, which aimed to amend the state constitution to transfer Oklahoma’s congressional and legislative redistricting authority to an independent redistricting commission, as unconstitutional. Petitioners alleged the initiative violated the Oklahoma Constitution’s single subject rule and that the initiative’s partisan affiliation restrictions for commission members violated the 1st Amendment and sought an order barring it from being placed on the ballot.
- On February 4, 2020, the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld Initiative Petition 420 as constitutional and legally valid for placement on the ballot. It explained the measure as a whole dealt only with the “one general subject” of redistricting and therefore didn’t violate the single-subject rule, and stated plaintiffs failed to sufficiently show that the eligibility restrictions for commission members didn’t violate individuals’ 1st Amendment rights.
Case Library
Oklahoma Supreme Court - MA-118406