Significant Mapping Developments

Georgia

Georgia’s governor signed congressional and legislative plans into law, and three lawsuits were filed soon after challenging them as violating the Voting Rights Act.

Kentucky

Kentucky House Republicans released their proposed state House plan and Senate Republicans released their proposed congressional and state Senate plans.

Missouri

Missouri released a proposed congressional redistricting plan.

New York

New York’s redistricting commission submitted two sets of congressional and legislative redistricting plans to the state legislature, over the Republican commissioners’ objections.

Important Dates

This Week

Hawaii – 1/8: Commission’s court-ordered deadline to release proposed congressional and legislative plans

Next Week

Maryland – 1/12: Governor’s deadline to submit proposed legislative plan to the General Assembly

Tennessee – 1/12: Tentative date for release of state House redistricting committee’s proposed redistricting plans

Pennsylvania – 1/18: Legislative commission’s deadline to make revisions to preliminary legislative plans

Connecticut – 1/18: Special Master’s deadline to submit plan to Connecticut Supreme Court

State News

Arkansas

The Arkansas NAACP and the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s adopted state House redistricting plan as violating the Voting Rights Act.

Illinois

A panel of federal judges upheld Illinois’s second enacted legislative plans against claims of racial gerrymandering and Voting Rights Act violations.

Michigan

Current and former Black state legislators stated they intend to file a lawsuit challenging the Michigan Redistricting Commission’s final congressional and legislative districts as violating the Voting Rights Act.

New Jersey

New Jersey’s Supreme Court ordered the state’s congressional redistricting commission tiebreaker to provide a more detailed explanation for his final selection of the Democrats’ plan. A recent report detailing a history of Democratic campaign contributions made to and from the tiebreakers’ wife has sparked questions as to his impartiality while serving.

New York

New York’s redistricting commission submitted two sets of congressional and legislative redistricting plans to the state legislature after the commissioners failed to reach a consensus on final plans and gridlocked along party lines.

Ohio

The Ohio Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the partisan gerrymandering challenges to the state’s enacted congressional plan.

Pennsylvania

Stakeholders criticized the Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s preliminary legislative plans as failing to reflect the state’s rapidly growing Hispanic population.