COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court ruled the current congressional map unconstitutional with a 4-3 vote Tuesday morning.
The Ohio Supreme Court called on Ohio lawmakers to create a new one in 30 days that would be used for the 2024 elections.
The current congressional map that passed in March was ruled unconstitutional because it does not comply with Article 19 Section (1)(c)(3), which states that a plan should not pass that unduly favors or disfavors a political party or its incumbents.
The current map only secures two Democratic spots in the 11th and 13th districts. The other 13 would be up for grabs by Republicans. Spectrum News 1 Legal Analyst Rory Riley-Topping said legal definitions need to be clarified as litigation continues.
“The political identity of the court has really impacted how they interpret the definition of that phrase, and that’s really what’s at issue here,” said Riley-Topping. “The majority find that the current maps unduly favor the Republican party. The dissenting party feels like they don’t, which depends on varying in the definitions.”
Republican Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor sided with the democratically elected justices in this congressional redistricting case. While lawmakers only have 30 days to come up with a new map, Riley-Topping said the process may be drawn out through litigation to wait out O’Connor’s retirement.
Republican Justice Sharon Kennedy will face Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner in November’s election, making it vital for future redistricting rulings.
“Who wins that election, who the next chief justice is, is going to have big implications on this court, because we do see a political divide on how all these cases have come out,” said Riley-Topping.
Many Ohio lawmakers have already made statements on the ruling. Secretary of State Frank LaRose said, “Obviously, we’ve received the court’s ruling and our legal team is currently reviewing it.”
Republican Ohio Senate Majority Leader Matt Huffman told Spectrum News 1 that they are reviewing the opinion. The Ohio House Democratic Caucus is in favor of the ruling. House Minority Leader Allison Russo said, “This ruling is justice for Ohioans who voted overwhelmingly for fair maps and responsive, accountable government.”.
Sen. Sherrod Brown said the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision is no surprise to him.
“Well, there’s an arrogance from the state legislature and the governor to just ignore what the people said on the ballot a couple of times, not too long ago, to ignore what the Republican Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said, and to ignore the fact that Ohio taxpayers are spending $40, $50, $60 million on legal fees and on a separate primary to be held next month,” said Brown. “They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Concerns have been raised regarding voter confusion. The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision will not affect voting in August’s primary or the November election. Jen Miller, the executive director of the League of Women Voters in Ohio, said it’s still important to get out and vote.
“We want to make sure that voters show up,” said Miller. “Are the statehouse maps, are the congressional maps perfect? No, but they can still respond to the people of Ohio. We will continue to work to get better maps, but these are the maps we have today and so voters need to use this opportunity to cast their ballot for those candidates they care about.”
If you want to learn more about who and what is going to be on the ballot, click here.
