John,

We hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend. Today, we’re bringing you a few legal updates that you may have missed during the holiday week.

Oregon Courts Uphold New Maps

• In September, Oregon was the first state to complete legislative and congressional redistricting. The new maps, approved by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, were quickly challenged in court by Republicans.


• Last Monday, the state Supreme Court upheld the new legislative maps, finding that the two GOP-led petitions did not prove that the maps violate the Oregon Constitution. “This is the first legal decision regarding new maps enacted following the release of 2020 census data and a blow to Republicans who had challenged the maps hoping to get them thrown out.” Read the full alert here.


• Two days later, a state court unanimously upheld the congressional map as well, rejecting a challenge brought by Republicans. The court found that the Legislature enacted a fair map and that it is not a Democratic gerrymander, as the GOP claimed. Read about the decision here.

Ohio and Georgia Pass New Gerrymandered Maps, Litigation Follows

• On Nov. 18, the Ohio Legislature passed a new congressional map. “The approved map’s breakdown gives Republicans at least 12 of the delegation’s 15 congressional seats. The National Democratic Redistricting Committee called out this unfair skew, one that ‘gives Republicans 80% of the seats despite them only earning 54% of the statewide vote in the last decade.’” Read the full alert here.


• Last Monday, a lawsuit was filed arguing that the map is a partisan gerrymander that favors Republicans and violates multiple provisions of the Ohio Constitution. Read what the lawsuit alleges here.


• The same day, the Georgia General Assembly approved their new congressional map, a week after passing state House and Senate maps. “All three maps attempt to mitigate the rapidly changing demographic and political landscape in Georgia after President Biden won the state in 2020 and Democrats won both Senate seats earlier this year. The approved congressional plan targets Rep. Lucy McBath (D)...” Read more about the maps here.

Courts Allow Important Lawsuits to Proceed in Kansas and Louisiana

• On Nov. 19, a federal court allowed a case against a Kansas voter suppression law to proceed. The court also granted a preliminary injunction against the law, blocking its enforcement while the case moves forward. “The lawsuit challenges House Bill 2332, which restricts nonpartisan out-of-state organizations from providing mail-in ballot applications to registered voters and…” Read the full alert here.


• Recently, a Louisiana state court denied an attempt to dismiss a case challenging the state’s current congressional map. Although the Louisiana Legislature is tasked with drawing new redistricting maps, there is almost no chance the current body will be able to implement a new congressional map in time for the 2022 election. The case, which will proceed, asks the courts to step in and ensure a new map is in place before voters head to the polls in 2022. Read more about this update here.

The first step in protecting our democracy is staying informed — find the latest democracy news on our Alerts page.

Thanks for staying in the fight,
Team Democracy Docket