A Republican plan to change the congressional map that would have given the GOP a 12-to-3 advantage in the midterm election was shut down by the state Supreme Court, The New York Times reports.
The proposed map was drawn by Republicans in the State Legislature and passed without Democratic support. But the court rejected it in a 4-to-3 decision, ruling that their proposed congressional map was the equivalent of a dealer stacking the deck.
“When the dealer stacks the deck in advance, the house usually wins,” wrote Justice Michael Donnelly for the majority, adding that the Republicans’ plan was “infused with undue partisan bias.”
“This is not what Ohio voters wanted or expected,’’ the court ruled, according to The Times.
Under an amendment to the Ohio Constitution overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2018, mapmakers are not allowed to redistrict the state in a way that unduly favors one party.
The court’s decision came a day after it threw out Republican-drawn maps for new state House and Senate districts.
