Ohio Supreme Court rejects state Senate and House maps…again

February 7, 2022

The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected the GOP-majority Ohio Redistricting Commission state Senate and House maps…for the second time! And once again, the ruling was 4-3 with Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor (R) siding with the three Democratic justices. The majority wrote: “We made clear that we were invalidating the original plan, in its entirety, under Section 9(B). Yet the commission did not adopt an entirely new plan.”

“[GOP-mapmakers] DiRossi and Springhetti started with the same plan that we invalidated and then merely adjusted certain districts just enough so that they could nominally be reclassified as ‘Democratic-leaning’.” Ouch! The commission now has until Thursday, February 17, to re-resubmit new state Senate and House map. We are now waiting for the court’s decision on the congressional map.

For Immediate Release:
Monday, February 7, 2022

Ohio Democratic Party Chair Walters Applauds Supreme Court’s Decision
to Once Again Strike Down GOP Gerrymandered Statehouse Maps

Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters issued the following statement applauding the Ohio Supreme Court for once again rejecting unconstitutional state House and Senate district maps. Even though the Ohio Supreme Court made clear that any attempts at gerrymandered maps would be rejected, Republicans once again put politics above the needs of Ohio voters and tried to push through maps that don’t reflect the political realities of our state. It’s past time that Republicans on the commission do their jobs and produce a fair map that Ohioans and the Supreme Court have called for again and again.

“Third time’s the charm. The Ohio Supreme Court once again rejected GOP attempts to gerrymander our state and disenfranchise Ohio voters. The Ohio Supreme Court cannot be more clear: Republicans must produce fair maps that accurately reflect our state, not the Ohio GOP’s political wishlist. Republicans have delayed this process too long already, it’s past time for them to finally do their jobs and give Ohioans what they deserve: fair representation and a state government that reflects the wishes of Ohio voters, not the wishes of extreme Republicans and the special interests they’re bought by.”

ARTICLES