Supreme Court Decides Not to Decide on Gerrymandering

FEATURING EZRA ROSENBERG – The nation’s highest court on Monday handed yet another win to the Republican party when it decided not to weigh in on the issue of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is the politicized drawing of district maps that favor one party over another. The GOP has for years made it a priority to win elections by taking over state legislative bodies and redrawing maps but in recent months lower courts had finally started to rebuke the party’s openly unfair practice.

On Monday the Supreme Court declined to rule on two crucial gerrymandering cases in Wisconsin and Maryland, effectively leaving Republicans at an advantage. However the ruling also left open the door to future legal challenges. The issue of redistricting will be on this November’s ballot in a number of states around the country including Colorado, Ohio, and Michigan.

For more information visit www.lawyerscommittee.org. The Election Protection Hotline is 866-Our-Vote.

Ezra Rosenberg, co-Director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.