A Missouri judge has struck down the ballot summary for a potential referendum on a congressional redistricting plan backed by President Donald Trump. A judge ruled Friday that a summary prepared by Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins was unfair and instead imposed a new version. Hoskins had described the old districts as gerrymandered, which he acknowledged could create favor for the new ones. The new districts are designed to give Republicans a chance at winning an additional seat. Opponents have submitted more than 300,000 petition signatures seeking to force a statewide referendum on the plan.
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A partisan battle to redraw U.S. House districts is raging in some states, even though campaigning is underway. The final boundaries for congressional voting districts remain uncertain in Missouri and Virginia. And Florida's governor is pushing lawmakers to reshape House districts ahead of this year's election. The activity comes after President Donald Trump triggered an unusual mid-decade redistricting battle by encouraging Texas to redraw its House districts for partisan advantage. California reciprocated, and a tit-for-tat redistricting clash soon spread to other states. It remains to be seen whether the changes will make any difference in which party wins control of Congress.
Virginia’s top court allows a voter referendum on Democrat-led redistricting that aims to flip 4 US House seats.
A federal court ruling means the new Utah voting districts that give Democrats an improved shot at winning a U.S. House seat can be used in this year’s election. The court ruling Monday turns aside a Republican request to block the new map. It's the second setback in recent days for Republicans, who also lost an appeal at the state Supreme Court. A Utah judge imposed the new districts last November after striking down the congressional districts that the Republican-led Legislature had adopted after the 2020 census. The judge ruled that the Legislature had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters.
A Virginia judge is temporarily blocking Democrats’ plan to hold an April referendum on new congressional maps that could seriously impact the midterm elections. The decision threatens Democrats' push for more U.S. House seats. On Thursday, a Tazewell Circuit Court judge granted a temporary restraining order sought by Republicans. The order runs until March 18 and clashes with early voting set to begin March 6, which could doom the referendum. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones says he will appeal the ruling. Republicans say the referendum's timing and wording break the law. Democrats argue it levels the playing field ahead of the midterms.
Virginia judge temporarily blocks Democrats' work on redistricting referendum in their bid to flip 4 congressional seats.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pushing back on President Donald Trump while trying to rally Democrats in his state around a mid-decade redistricting fight. On Wednesday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries visited Annapolis as Moore pushed state lawmakers for a straight vote on new maps. Moore says Trump prompted the issue by urging states to redraw districts. Trump, meanwhile, has been stepping up attacks on Moore, blocking him from a White House dinner and blaming him for a Potomac River sewage spill. Moore notes the sewage pipe sits in Washington, D.C., on federal land.
Vance's visit is at least the third time he has talked to Indiana Republican lawmakers about the possibility.
AP
The request comes about three weeks after a circuit judge ruled that the congressional and state House maps crafted by the GOP-dominated legislature did not violate the state constitution.
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Holcomb said in a statement he believed that legislators completed the redistricting work in “an orderly and transparent way."