Virginia's redistricting legal fight is among three gerrymandering cases U.S. Supreme Court is hearing
Three U.S. Supreme Court gerrymandering cases originating in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina could change control of one state capitol and possibly establish a new standard for how far states can go in drawing partisan political boundaries after the 2020 elections.
As statehouses prepare for redistricting, the once-a-decade re-drawing of electoral maps following the 2020 census, lawmakers are turning to the courts for guidance on how to create political districts that benefit the majority party without violating the Constitution.
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In Rucho vs. Common Cause, Democrats claim North Carolina Republicans minimized their voting clout by “packing” Democratic voters into single districts and “cracking” them up into multiple districts in the state’s 2016 congressional map.
“By striking down North Carolina and Maryland’s maps, the Supreme Court can send a message to the rest of the country that extreme partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional, no matter which party does it,” said a recent statement from Paul Smith, vice president of the Campaign Legal Center.