CINCINNATI (AP) — A federal court has ruled that Ohio’s congressional map is unconstitutional and has ordered a new one be drawn for the 2020 elections.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati ruled unanimously Friday that district boundaries were manipulated for partisan gain by Republican mapmakers and violate voters’ rights to democratically select their representatives. The ruling blocks Ohio from holding another election under the current map.
The ruling is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Voters’ rights and Democratic groups who sued Ohio Republican officials said redistricting completed after the 2010 Census yielded a statewide map that has produced an unbending 12-4 Republican advantage in Ohio’s delegation. Republicans said the map was drawn with bipartisan support.
