Tag: Gerrymandering in the United States

The supreme court dodged a decision on whether it is constitutional for political parties to redraw electoral maps to gain a partisan advantage. In two cases, one in Maryland and one in Wisconsin, the court on Monday found procedural reasons not to issue a ruling on gerrymandering. Instead of making a landmark ruling, the cases were both kicked back to lower courts for new hearings. In Maryland, the map had been redrawn by Democrats, while in Wisconsin, Republicans had done the same to gain an advantage. The justices unanimously ruled against Wisconsin Democrats who challenged legislative districts that gave Republicans a huge edge in the state legislature. That will now happen. In Wisconsin, the Democrats prevailed after a trial in which the court ruled that partisan redistricting could go too far and indeed, did in Wisconsin, where Republicans hold a huge edge in the legislature even though the state is otherwise closely divided between Democrats and Republicans. The supreme court said that the plaintiffs in Wisconsin had failed to prove they have the right to sue on a statewide basis, rather than challenge individual districts. The lawsuit filed by North Carolina Democrats has plaintiffs in each of the state’s 13 congressional districts. Like Wisconsin, North Carolina is generally closely divided in politics, but Republicans hold a 10-3 edge in congressional seats.