Illinois Republicans ask state Supreme Court to toss 'gerrymandered' legislative map

Source: AP

Updated 7:20 PM EST, January 28, 2025


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Republican leader of the Illinois House and five voters on Tuesday filed a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to throw out the legislative district map as unconstitutionally drawn to favor Democrats.

The lawsuit over the 2021 plan challenges the compactness of the districts, which snake among one another in odd ways that drew less-than-flattering critiques nationally at the time and the state constitution’s protections ensuring “free and equal” elections.

“Drawn by the party in power, these maps are designed to entrench Illinois Democrats in control while silencing the voices of voters who support the minority party,” McCombie, a Republican from the Mississippi River city of Savanna, said. “The result? Rigged outcomes in general elections.”

Mapmaking in Illinois is a process that invariably becomes deadlocked and the name of the party chosen to draw the map is pulled from a hat. It’s gone to Democrats after the U.S. Census the last three decades. Nearly 600,000 voters signed petitions in 2016 for a ballot initiative to put mapmaking into the hands of an independent commission, but the state Supreme Court ruled the plan unconstitutional. GOP Rep. Ryan Spain on Tuesday introduced a constitutional amendment creating for a nonpartisan commission to take up mapmaking.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/gerrymandering-illinois-republicans-constitution-legislature-d0fa62b260573903b3399bb16b4a5049