CASE SUMMARY

On February 10, 2022, a group of Maryland voters filed a petition with the Maryland Court of Appeals challenging the General Assembly’s legislative redistricting plan as violating various provisions of the Maryland Constitution and Maryland Declaration of Rights. Plaintiffs asserted several districts violated the Maryland Constitution’s redistricting criteria of contiguity, compactness, and due regard for natural and political subdivision boundaries, the plan was a partisan gerrymander designed to disproportionately favor Democrats in violation of their rights to free elections, freedom of speech, and equal protection under the Maryland Declaration of Rights, and by passing a partisan gerrymandered plan the General Assembly violated its duty to pass laws "necessary for the preservation of the purity of [e]lections" under Article I, § 7 of the Maryland Constitution. They sought a judicial declaration the plan was unconstitutional, an order requiring the General Assembly to enact a new, lawful plan, and for the court to order the adoption of the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission’s submitted plan if the state otherwise failed to adopt a new one.

  • On February 11, 2022, the Court of Appeals consolidated this petition with three others challenging the legislative plan.
  • On April 4, 2022, the court-appointed special magistrate submitted its report on the plan to the Court.
  • On April 13, 2022, the Court issued an order upholding the plans as constitutional. On August 31, 2022, the Court released its full opinion explaining its decision.

CASE LIBRARY

Maryland Court of Appeals - Misc. No. 21 (consolidated with Misc. Nos. 24, 25, 26 & 27)

Maryland Court of Appeals - Misc. No. 24

Maryland Court of Appeals - Misc. No. 25

Maryland Court of Appeals - Misc. No. 26

Maryland Court of Appeals - Misc. No. 27