Supreme Court overturns partisan gerrymandering ruling in Michigan
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling that ordered Michigan politicians to return to the drawing board on voting maps. The Democratic voters who filed the lawsuit argued that the Republican-drawn voting maps would unduly weaken Democratic representation in the state.
The partisan gerrymandering ruling, which was handed down Monday, is the latest Supreme Court blow to redistricting reformers who advocate for fair voting districts that don't provide an advantage to any political party. In June, the justices ruled in cases involving Maryland and North Carolina that partisan gerrymandering is an issue for state, not federal, courts to police. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court threw out a similar case in Ohio.
The high court's ruling voids an April order by a three-judge panel for Michigan politicians to redraw 25 state legislative and nine U.S. House districts.
Redistricting takes place every 10 years, after the U.S. census, and in most states, the political party in charge controls the process.