CASE SUMMARY

The Washington State Redistricting Commission had a constitutional deadline to adopt final congressional and legislative plans and a statutory deadline to submit them to the state legislature by midnight on November 15, 2021, but despite having reached a final agreement, the Commission did not adopt their final congressional and legislative plans until just seconds after midnight and failed to transmit their letter and plans to the state legislature until minutes later. On November 16, 2021 the Washington State Redistricting Commission sent a letter to the Washington Supreme Court detailing that it had failed to adopt final congressional and legislative redistricting plans by its statutory deadline and, pursuant to ยง 44.05.100 of the Revised Code of Washington, authority to redraw the state's congressional and legislative districts had now passed to the Washington Supreme Court. The Washington Supreme Court issued an order on November 18, 2021 directing the Chair of the Redistricting Commission to file a sworn declaration detailing the Commission's timeline of events on November 15, 2021 and November 16, 2021 regarding the adoption of final plans, which the Chair filed on November 22, 2021.

On December 3, 2021 the Washington Supreme Court issued an order declining to assume redistricting authority and permitting the Commission to proceed with the submission of their final plans to the state legislature. The Court found the Commission had indeed met their constitutional deadline to adopt final plans and had "substantially complied" with their statutory deadline to transmit them to the legislature. Having approved the Commission's conduct as legally compliant, the court directed the Commission to complete the remaining tasks necessary to finalizing their adopted redistricting plans.

CASE LIBRARY

Washington Supreme Court - Nos. 25700-B-675 & 25700-B-676

In re Washington State Redistricting Plan
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