Tag: Redistricting
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Florida Secretary of State says he will appeal state court decision overturning congressional district boundaries
On Sept. 4, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd filed notice that his office and the state legislature would appeal a Leon County Circuit Court decision overturning the state’s congressional district boundaries in North Florida to a state intermediate appellate court. Florida 2nd Circuit Court Judge J. Lee Marsh declared Florida’s current congressional map unconstitutional…
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Federal court panel overturns Alabama’s revised congressional redistricting plan
A three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama ruled on Sept. 5 that the revised congressional district boundaries that the Alabama legislature enacted on July 21, 2023, were not in accordance with the Voting Rights Act. The state adopted the revised congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court…
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Alabama redistricting plaintiffs formally object to state’s newly enacted congressional map
The plaintiffs in Allen v. Milligan filed a formal objection on July 28 with United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama regarding the state’s revised congressional district boundaries. The plaintiffs requested that the court prohibit the state from using the new boundaries and appoint a special master to draw a new congressional map that…
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Ballotpedia identifies 17 noteworthy Supreme Court cases regarding redistricting from 1946 to 2023
Ballotpedia has identified 17 noteworthy redistricting cases that the Supreme Court has heard since 1946, with the most recent one being Allen v. Milligan. In a 5-4 decision on June 8, SCOTUS affirmed the judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama that the state’s congressional redistricting plan adopted in…
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North Carolina Supreme Court vacates state’s congressional, legislative maps
In a 5-2 decision on April 28, 2023, the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned a 2022 decision that the state’s enacted congressional and legislative maps were unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering. The court vacated the maps the legislature enacted in 2021 and the remedial maps used for the 2022 elections. In its ruling, the court…
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New York adopts revised State Assembly districts
New York enacted new State Assembly district boundaries on April 24, 2023, when Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed legislation establishing them for use starting with the 2024 elections. The State Assembly passed the bill earlier that day by a vote of 132-13, and it passed the state Senate by a vote of 59-1. The New…
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Montana becomes last state to enact legislative districting boundaries after the 2020 census
Montana enacted new legislative district boundaries on Feb. 22 when the Montana Districting & Apportionment Commission submitted its final plan to the secretary of state. The maps will take effect for Montana’s 2024 state legislative elections. The commission had voted 3-2 to approve its final plan on Feb. 11. The commission’s nonpartisan chairperson, Maylinn Smith,…
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Federal three-judge panel rules South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District unconstitutional
On January 6, 2023, a federal three-judge panel ruled that South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District was unconstitutional and enjoined the state from conducting future elections using its district boundaries. The panel’s opinion said, “The Court finds that race was the predominant factor motivating the General Assembly’s adoption of Congressional District No. 1… Plaintiffs’ right to…
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Sixty-eight legislative districts in five states were either renamed or eliminated after the 2020 census
As state legislatures nationwide convene for their first sessions after the 2022 elections, 68 legislative districts in five states were either renamed or eliminated and no longer exist. Forty-six of the 68 renamed or eliminated districts are in Vermont, one of three New England states—along with Massachusetts and New Hampshire—that include the town as part…
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Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission submits final legislative district boundary proposal to legislature
The Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission (MDAC) voted 3-2 to submit its final legislative district boundary proposal to the legislature. The commission’s nonpartisan chairperson, Maylinn Smith, and two Democratic-appointed commissioners voted to approve the map, and the two Republican-appointed commissioners voted against it. According to Nicole Girten of the Daily Montanan, “The legislature will have…