The Ohio Redistricting Commission meets again on Tuesday today, even as a lawsuit has been filed to take the Ohio Supreme Court out of the legislative map-drawing process.
Members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission have until Wednesday to show the Ohio Supreme Court why they shouldn’t be held in contempt for ignoring a court deadline last week.
The lawsuit was filed by lobbyist and Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonidakis, Republican former state representative Margaret Conditt and six others.
Their lawyer Don Brey said having no legal House and Senate maps is a constitutional violation for voters and candidates.
"There is a right to vote for representatives. You don't have an ability to exercise that right without district lines," Brey said. "In other words, how do you vote for a representative from a district if there isn't a district?"
The lawsuit asks to move the case to a panel of three federal judges and for the second round of maps ruled unconstitutional February 7 to be used this election year.
The ACLU has said this “is political operatives’ attempt to end-run the mandate from Ohio voters to draw a fair and constitutionally compliant map.”
