Current:Home > ScamsAnother round of Ohio Statehouse maps has been challenged in court, despite bipartisan support-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Another round of Ohio Statehouse maps has been challenged in court, despite bipartisan support
View Date:2024-12-23 14:16:45
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Advocacy groups fighting Ohio’s political maps in court formally objected Thursday to the latest round of Statehouse districts, which they see as once again unfairly drawn to favor Republicans.
Proposed legislative districts created by the GOP-led Ohio Redistricting Commission were previously declared unconstitutional five times. But the commission passed the latest Ohio Senate and House maps in a unanimous bipartisan vote. At the time, the two Democrats on the seven-member commission described their support as not so much a win but a necessary compromise.
The Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a coalition of labor, faith and grassroots community groups, is already suing the state over redistricting.
Lawyers for the group told the state Supreme Court on Thursday that the partisan breakdown of the latest maps is “nearly identical” to that of the maps that prompted them to sue in the first place. They argued that the absence of fair representation would harm and disenfranchise Ohio’s communities of color.
The parties have “no choice” but to continue their challenge against the new maps, said Yurij Rudensky, senior counsel in the Democracy Program operation by New York University Law School’s Brennan Center for Justice, which is representing the petitioners.
“Letting these maps stand would be a breakdown in the rule of law and render Ohio Constitution’s guarantee of fair representation meaningless,” Rudensky said in a statement. “Ohio politicians have proven that they cannot be trusted with drawing district lines fairly. The only question is whether under the current process the court will continue providing a check against blatant abuses.”
The state Supreme Court realigned in January, after the departure of Republican Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor due to age limits. O’Connor cast the deciding swing vote in all the redistricting cases, siding with the court’s three Democrats over her three fellow Republicans.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Republican Joe Deters, a former state treasurer and Hamilton County prosecutor, to fill her vacancy.
Republican Senate President Matt Huffman swiftly rebuked the advocacy groups’ rejection of the maps.
“Yet another desperate power grab by Washington, D.C., special interests that have no business holding the people of Ohio and the process hostage,” he said in a texted statement. Huffman emphasized that the process produced a 7-0 bipartisan vote this time around.
Thursday’s objections come as Ohioans are poised to see a constitutional amendment on 2024 ballots that would reform the existing redistricting process.
veryGood! (55759)
Related
- Why have wildfires been erupting across the East Coast this fall?
- Nevada flooding forces Burning Man attendees to shelter in place
- 'Every hurricane is different': Why experts are still estimating Idalia's impact
- Steve Harwell, the former lead singer of Smash Mouth, has died at 56
- The Surreal Life’s Kim Zolciak Fuels Dating Rumors With Costar Chet Hanks After Kroy Biermann Split
- Jimmy Buffett's cause of death revealed to be Merkel cell cancer, a rare form of skin cancer
- Steve Harwell, the former lead singer of Smash Mouth, has died at 56
- Peacock, Big Ten accidentally debut 'big turd' sign on Michigan-East Carolina broadcast
- John Krasinski named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2024
- Top 5 storylines to watch in US Open's second week: Alcaraz-Djokovic final still on track
Ranking
- Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
- ‘Like a Russian roulette’: US military firefighters grapple with unknowns of PFAS exposure
- Phoenix man let 10-year-old son drive pickup truck on freeway, police say
- Rewriting colonial history: DNA from Delaware graves tells unexpected story of pioneer life
- Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term
- Endangered red wolves need space to stay wild. But there’s another predator in the way — humans
- Nightengale's Notebook: 20 burning questions entering MLB's stretch run
- Robots are pouring drinks in Vegas. As AI grows, the city's workers brace for change
Recommendation
-
Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
-
Lions, tigers, taxidermy, arsenic, political squabbling and the Endangered Species Act. Oh my.
-
Robots are pouring drinks in Vegas. As AI grows, the city's workers brace for change
-
Biden and Trump are keeping relatively light campaign schedules as their rivals rack up the stops
-
The Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Siegfried
-
No. 8 Florida State dominant in second half, routs No. 5 LSU
-
Jimmy Buffett died after a four-year fight with a rare form of skin cancer, his website says
-
Corgis parade outside Buckingham Palace in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II: See the photos