Eric Holder Applauds Ohio Supreme Court Decision to Strike Down Gerrymandered State Legislative Maps
For Immediate Release
January 12, 2022
Contact
Brooke Lillard
lillard@redistrictingaction.org
Eric Holder Applauds Ohio Supreme Court Decision to Strike Down Gerrymandered State Legislative Maps
Washington, D.C. -- Today, Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States and chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), released the following statement in response to the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in a case supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF), NDRC’s 501(c)(4) affiliate, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s new legislative maps:
“Today’s ruling is a decisive win for democracy and for Ohioans. It is the result of years of effort by everyone who called for transparency, who testified at redistricting hearings this fall, and who supported the redistricting reforms to Ohio's state constitution. The goal of that reform – which passed with more than two thirds of the vote – was to ensure Ohioans would never be represented by politicians from gerrymandered districts again. In spite of Republicans blatantly ignoring the law and the will of the people, the reform is working. The Ohio Supreme Court rightfully struck down these egregiously gerrymandered maps and ordered the Commission to go back to the drawing board and produce maps that reflect the political expectations of the people and the dictates of the state constitution.
“This decision is also a powerful example for why the United States Senate must pass the Freedom to Vote Act without delay. Ohio’s constitutional reforms show the effectiveness of laws that provide recourse to the people when politicians gerrymander the maps. It is an example to the nation.”
The Ohio Supreme Court determined that the Republican-led Commission violated the state constitution, which requires the Commission to attempt to draw maps that do not primarily favor one political party over another and that closely correspond to the statewide preferences of Ohio voters. The gerrymandered maps would have given Republicans nearly 70 percent of the Ohio General Assembly seats in a state where they have won just 54 percent of the vote in the last decade. The Court determined that this violated the anti-gerrymandering provisions in the state constitution. The Court has ordered the Commission to redraw maps that adhere to those requirements and others in the state constitution within the next 10 days. The Court will maintain jurisdiction of the case in order to review those redrawn maps. The plaintiffs in the case will have the ability to challenge the revised maps if necessary. The full decision is available here.
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