Category Archives: redistricting

“Recovering from Rucho: How States Can Create National Partisan Fairness”

June 24, 2025, 1:16 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, redistrictingpartisan gerrymanderJustin Levitt

Jamie Piltch and Aaron Goldzimer have a new piece in the Wash. U. L. Rev. Online: Rucho v. Common Cause and the failure to pass H.R. 1 have left national gerrymandering reform on life support. At present, however, states committed… Continue reading

DOJ weighs in in Alabama preclearance

June 22, 2025, 5:16 pmDepartment of Justice, redistricting, Voting Rights Actbail-in, preclearance, Section 3Justin Levitt

In the Alabama redistricting case, readers will recall the May 8 unanimous 571-page-opinion from one judge first appointed by Reagan and two judges appointed by Trump; the opinion said, inter alia, “try as we might, we cannot understand the… Continue reading

“Amid upcoming redistricting deadline, massive changes could soon be coming for Ohio’s congressional map”

June 22, 2025, 5:12 pmconflict of interest laws, election law and constitutional law, political parties, redistrictingpartisan gerrymanderJustin Levitt

Ohio’s redistricting process has been, charitably, a mess. WLWT in Ohio focuses on the coming summer redraw of Ohio’s congressional lines, which were valid only for 2022 and 2024 under Ohio’s constitution, because they were passed by a… Continue reading

When will Supreme Court Further Erode Our Democracy . . . probably not until next week

June 20, 2025, 7:40 amredistricting, Voting Rights Actracial gerrymanderTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Court did not decide Louisiana v. Callais today. The case involves a challenge to Louisiana’s congressional maps. In 2023, after a federal court found Louisiana had violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by failing to provide a… Continue reading

“NJ Justices Nix Redistricting Challenge, Draw Rare Dissent”

June 18, 2025, 3:25 pmredistrictingNJ, StatesTabatha Abu El-Haj

Bloomberg “The New Jersey Supreme Court rejected a challenge to municipal political district drawing, short-circuiting litigation that could have led to a wave of redistricting lawsuits across the state. The divided court ruled that judges need not consider mathematical formulas… Continue reading

“Redistricting trial begins in North Carolina over allegations that GOP-enacted maps erode Black voting power”

June 16, 2025, 8:21 amredistricting, Voting Rights ActTabatha Abu El-Haj

PBS News Plaintiffs allege “GOP legislative leaders violated federal law and the U.S. Constitution when they enacted new electoral maps.” Republicans claim the maps are a legal partisan gerrymander. “Favorable rulings for the plaintiffs could force Republicans to redraw maps… Continue reading

“White House Pushes Texas to Redistrict, Hoping to Blunt Democratic Gains”

June 10, 2025, 7:05 amredistrictingRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump’s political team is encouraging Republican leaders in Texas to examine how House district lines in the state could be redrawn ahead of next year’s midterm elections to try to save the party’s endangered majority, according to people… Continue reading

Brahin, “Redistricting and the Origins of the Good Faith Presumption”

June 7, 2025, 9:02 amredistrictingDerek Muller

I’ll post some academic pieces over the weekend. First up, Leonard C. Brahin in the Barry Law Review: Evidentiary and substantive presumptions are a well-established tool that courts employ when addressing a variety of legal problems. These presumptions streamline… Continue reading

Three-judge federal panel rejects claim of racial gerrymandering in Arkansas congressional districts

June 6, 2025, 12:40 pmredistrictingDerek Muller

The decision in Christian Ministerial Alliance v. Thurston, written by Judge Stras on the Eighth Circuit and joined by two district court judges, is here.

“Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare Speaks on Redistricting Effort, Partisanship Claims”

May 31, 2025, 11:09 amelection law and constitutional law, political parties, redistrictinglocal redistricting, partisan gerrymanderJustin Levitt

A coming vote on new mid-decade maps for Tarrant County, Texas (where Ft. Worth is the county seat) has been quite controversial, with charges of racial and partisan impropriety, and likely litigation on the horizon. County Judge Tim O’Hare has… Continue reading

“Fuzzy Math: Several House districts could be redrawn before 2026 elections”

May 30, 2025, 11:10 ampolitical parties, redistrictingJustin Levitt

The Washington Examiner looks at some of the congressional district plans most likely to be modified over the next year.

“Alabama may pause redistricting efforts until 2030 to avoid federal oversight”

May 29, 2025, 12:52 pmredistricting, Voting Rights ActpreclearanceJustin Levitt

That’s the headline of a States Newsroom piece about a Wednesday filing in Alabama’s congressional redistricting litigation. But I can’t understand why it’s warranted. It’s true that after a three-judge court’s 571-page opinion (not a typo) a few weeks ago… Continue reading

“2 lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s congressional map filed with state Supreme Court”

May 9, 2025, 7:26 amredistrictingRick Hasen

WPR: Two lawsuits have been filed asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to declare the state’s congressional map unconstitutional ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The lawsuits come roughly a month after liberals retained their majority on the court with the… Continue reading

Breaking: Three-Judge District Court Finds Alabama’s Congressional Redistricting Plan Intentionally Discriminated Against Black Voters Updated

May 8, 2025, 12:43 pmcourt decisions, redistricting, Uncategorized, Voting Rights ActTravis Crum

The court’s 571-page opinion is here. This decision is on remand from the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Allen v. Milligan. This is the latest decision in the long-running Section 2 litigation against Alabama’s congressional redistricting plans. Back in… Continue reading