Politics & Government

Lawyers Release Hours Of Depositions In Ohio Redistricting Lawsuit

WOSU 89.7 NPR News | By Andy Chow

Published October 26, 2021 at 7:52 AM EDT

House and Senate Republican caucuses present their proposed district maps to the Ohio Redistricting Commission on September 9, 2021 at the Ohio Statehouse.

Several groups are challenging the new Ohio legislative maps in court arguing the districts, which retain a Republican supermajority, are unconstitutional.

Thousands of pages of documents have been filed in the Ohio Supreme Court in the case against the newly drawn Ohio House and Ohio Senate district maps.

The records filed in the supreme court cases include evidence, discovery and transcripts of depositions.

Those depositions are of the five Republican members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission; Gov. Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor Keith Faber, Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima).

The deposition transcripts show long conversations with each member over their role in drawing up the initial district lines. DeWine, LaRose and Faber said in sworn statements they had "no involvement" in creating those maps, though they voted for them.

The groups challenging those maps said the new districts don't follow the reforms approved by voters through a constitutional amendment. That includes a provision that requires the maps to reflect the proportional political split of Ohio, which has voted about 54% Republican and 46% Democratic over the last 10 years.

The first oral argument before the Ohio Supreme Court is set for early December.