Ohio Congressional Map Is Illegal Gerrymander, Federal Court Rules

A federal court on Friday tossed out Ohio’s congressional map, ruling that Republican state lawmakers had carved up the state to give themselves an illegal partisan advantage and to dilute Democrats’ votes in a way that predetermined the outcome of elections. Federal judges relied on the same three tests in ruling maps unconstitutional in North Carolina, Maryland and Wisconsin, a fact opponents of gerrymanders called significant.

“The Supreme Court’s problem in the past has been that it couldn’t find a standard for managing these cases,” said Ruth Greenwood, the co-director of voting rights and redistricting at the Campaign Legal Center, a legal advocacy group. “Well, here is one that’s working and is manageable.”

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