Significant Mapping Developments
Maryland
Maryland’s state House passed the Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission’s recommended congressional plan and sent it to the state Senate.
New Mexico
New Mexico’s advisory redistricting commission presented its maps to the state legislature, but lawmakers have introduced their own redistricting plans.
Rhode Island
State legislative leaders released two draft state House and two draft state Senate plans.
South Carolina
The South Carolina House of Representatives passed a state House redistricting plan and sent it to the Senate. The state Senate approved the second of three readings on its state Senate plan.
Washington
Washington’s Supreme Court declined to assume redistricting authority and allowed the state’s redistricting commission to submit their final adopted congressional and legislative plans to the state legislature.
Important Dates
This Week
Maryland – Currently in special congressional redistricting session
New Mexico – Currently in special redistricting session
South Carolina – Currently in special legislative redistricting session
Next Week
Arizona – 12/22 Deadline: Commission must adopt final congressional and legislative plans
National News
Redistricting News
This cycle, both parties’ map-drawers have focused less on cities and more on suburban areas as shifting demographics have changed the role that suburbs play in redistricting battles.
State News
California
A lawsuit was filed with the California Supreme Court seeking to force the state’s redistricting commission to hire new legal advisors and to publicly disclose private meeting records and racial voting analyses being used in map-drawing.
Idaho
A third lawsuit was filed challenging the Idaho Commission for Reapportionment’s adopted state House plan as violating the state’s statutory redistricting criteria.
Michigan
After Michigan’s redistricting commission voted against releasing confidential memos on Voting Rights Act compliance from a prior closed-door meeting, several media organizations filed a lawsuit to obtain the documents and to bar the commission from holding any future closed-door meetings.
North Carolina
A panel of state court judges denied requests for preliminary injunctions that would’ve barred the state’s newly enacted congressional and legislative plans from going into effect while legal challenges to them are pending.
Ohio
Another lawsuit challenging the state’s enacted congressional plan as a partisan gerrymander was filed with the Ohio Supreme Court.
South Carolina
South Carolina’s state Senate elected a new Senate president at the beginning of its special redistricting session.
Texas
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Texas, alleging their enacted congressional and state House redistricting plans violate the federal Voting Rights Act.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order adopting a “minimum changes” approach and declining to consider districts’ political compositions when it redraws the state’s congressional and legislative districts.