The maps remained in effect during the 2014 election, but the court ordered the legislature to draw new districts for future elections. 4 B. Where certain district lines are drawn within states which are determined based on changes in population dictates who holds a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and in many state senates. [219][220][221][222][223], On January 26, 2018, the state supreme court issued an order appointing Nate Persily, a Stanford University law professor, "to assist the court in adopting, if necessary, a remedial congressional redistricting plan." So between years that end in zero and years that end in two, the . On February 16, 2012, the plan was signed into law. 4) How long have districts been drawn the way they are in Michigan? In 2018, a group of Black voters filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the Alabama map violated the Voting Rights Act. These measures either created or expanded a redistricting commissions' jurisdiction over the process (or reduced legislative authority). "[233][234], On February 15, 2018, the deadline set by the state supreme court, parties to the suit and state political leaders submitted their proposals to the court. Jon Eguia, a professor in Michigan State Universitys department of economics, researches partisan advantages in redistricting maps. The pair issued a joint statement announcing the plan: "The Republican Legislative Leaders in the House and Senate have agreed to a Congressional District Map that complies fully with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's order and opinion." We can draw them to fairly reflect the population: Blue gets three seats, Red gets two seats. That summer, opponents of the new legislative and congressional maps filed suit in federal court through Baldus v. Brennan, alleging "partisan and racial gerrymandering and violation of the Voting Rights Act and various state constitutional criteria." It happens every 10 years, after the census, to reflect the changes in. Three Republicans and one Democrat voted to approve the map; two Democrats dissented. We are one important step closer to the end of the GOP's racial gerrymander." On February 9, 2012, the state legislature approved a state legislative redistricting plan via joint resolution. [238], Justices Debra Todd, Christine Donohue, Kevin M. Dougherty, and David N. Wecht formed the court's majority. The court stopped short of deeming the district lines unconstitutional, however. Redistricting is the redrawing of congressional and state legislative districts to adjust for uneven growth rates in different parts of the state. Jennifer Trenkamp, MSUToday editor. At the time, partisan control of the legislature was divided; Democrats held the state Senate while Republicans held the state House. Say the state has five House seats. Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. [340][341][342], In response to the ruling, Bill Whitford, a plaintiff in the suit, said, "The discouraging thing is just the delay. [113], Following the 2010 United States Census, Montana did not add to its single congressional district, making congressional redistricting unnecessary. But in simple terms, it refers to the intentional distortion of a map of political districts to give one party an advantage. On March 24, 2017, state attorneys petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to reverse the district court's ruling. These new maps resembled the second interim maps issued by the district court. The remedial Senate plan can be accessed here. But Republicans still won 63 of the 99 State Assembly districts. "[297][298][299][300][301], The court ordered the state to draft a new congressional district map by September 1, 2015. "Since the 1840s, Congress has mandated that states draw district maps and elect one representative per district for the U.S. House of Representatives.