Ohio Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Neiman)

Lawsuit filed on behalf of voters challenging Ohio’s revised congressional map that was passed after the first map drawn with 2020 census data was struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court for being a partisan gerrymander. The petitioners, who sued in Adams v. DeWine over the first map, argue that the revised map “bears a striking resemblance” to the first map that was blocked and is still an extreme partisan outlier that favors Republicans and unnecessarily splits communities to do so. The lawsuit asks the state Supreme Court to pause all election deadlines for the state’s May 3, 2022 primary, postpone the primary election and order the adoption of a new congressional map, either one chosen by the court or one drawn by the General Assembly. On July 19, 2022, the court struck down the revised congressional map for violating the Ohio Constitution. This means new districts will be in place for the 2024 election cycle.

On Oct. 14, 2022, Ohio Republican lawmakers, invoking the independent state legislature theory, filed a petition in the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to review the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the state’s congressional map.

On June 30, 2023, the Supreme Court vacated the Ohio Supreme Court’s July 19, 2022 order and remanded the case back to the Ohio Supreme Court in light of its ruling in Moore v. Harper. On Sept. 7, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed the case at the petitioners’ request.

Last updated: September 7, 2023 5:45 pm EST