Tuesday, April 16, 2024

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Michigan gerrymandering case

October 23, 2019
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks to media following his participation in a "rally to terminate gerrymandering" on Oct. 20.
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks to media following his participation in a "rally to terminate gerrymandering" on Oct. 20. —
Photo by Andrew Roth | The State News

Michigan's electoral districts do not need immediate redrawing after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned a lower court ruling Monday, Oct. 22.

The 34 districts in question were nine congressional districts and 25 state legislative districts, which will remain unchanged until 2022 when the lines will be redrawn by Voters Not Politicians, an independent commission created by Proposition 2 in 2018.

"The U.S. Supreme Court’s unwillingness to protect voters from extreme partisan gerrymandering underscores the importance of citizen-led initiatives," Nancy Wang, executive director of Voters Not Politicians, said.

The decision was expected after a similar gerrymandering case in June which said the issue was too political for federal court review. More recently, the Supreme Court rejected a ruling to redraw 16 districts on Oct. 7.

"Thanks to the work of the League of Women Voters in this case, the public now knows what happens behind closed doors when politicians and special interests have the power to manipulate election district maps for partisan political gain," Battiste said.

Editor's note — This story has been corrected to attribute a quote to Nancy Wang.

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