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Federal Judges Reject Stay On Drawing New Congressional Map

Ohio's existing Congressional district map
Ohio Secretary of State
Ohio's existing Congressional district map

A panel of three federal judges that ruled Ohio's Congressional district map is unconstitutional has denied a request from the state to delay their order to draw a new map next month. The state now plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to stay that decision.

The judges rejected the request from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to delay the drawing of a new map till after upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions on maps from Maryland and North Carolina.

The court says the new map must be drawn by June 14. That’s two weeks before the state budget is due. Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) opposes the current map and says it’s time to begin.

“Let’s not give the opportunity to mess it up and get it right by starting early. Proper preparation is exactly what we should be doing," Sykes says.

Yost had said the rulings on the other states’ maps could affect Ohio’s map.

But the groups that sued say the state is trying to "run out the clock" to draw a new map in time for next year’s Congressional election.

Yost said in a statement: "This was expected. The State is entitled to appellate review of the invented legal standard in the trial court's decision, and will ask the Supreme Court to stay the decision pending its ruling on similar cases already before it."

 

Copyright 2019 The Statehouse News Bureau

Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.