Ohio advocacy groups have formally objected to the latest round of Statehouse districts, claiming they are once again unfairly skewed to favor Republicans. Proposed legislative districts, created by the GOP-led Ohio Redistricting Commission, have been ruled unconstitutional five times in the past. Despite this, the latest Ohio Senate and House maps passed unanimously in a bipartisan vote. The two Democrats on the seven-member commission have called their support a necessary compromise rather than a victory.
The Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a coalition of labor, faith and grassroots groups, is already taking legal action against the state over redistricting. Lawyers for the group told the state Supreme Court that the partisan breakdown of the latest maps is “nearly identical” to the maps that prompted their initial lawsuit. They argue that a lack of fair representation could harm and disenfranchise communities of color in Ohio.
Yurij Rudensky, a senior operating attorney for the Democracy Program at New York University School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice, which represents the petitioners, said the parties “have no choice” but to continue their challenge against the new maps. He added that allowing those maps to stand would undermine the rule of law and render meaningless the Ohio Constitution’s guarantee of fair representation. Rudensky further criticized Ohio politicians, saying they have proven unreliable in drawing district lines fairly.
The state Supreme Court underwent a reshuffle in January after the departure of Republican Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor over age limits. O’Connor had been the deciding vote in all redistricting cases, siding with the court’s three Democrats over their three Republican colleagues. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Republican Joe Deters, former state treasurer and Hamilton County prosecutor, to fill his vacancy.
Republican Senate President Matt Huffman was quick to criticize the rejection of the maps by advocacy groups, describing it as a desperate power grab by special interests in Washington, DC. He emphasized that the process produced a unanimous bipartisan vote this time.
The objections come as Ohioans will see a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot that would reform the existing redistricting process.
the mail Ohio redistricting maps again challenged by advocacy groups appeared first NewsGPT.ai.
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