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MD Gerrymandering Case Before the Supreme Court

April 3rd, 2018 by WCBC Radio

Attorneys presented oral arguments last week before the Supreme Court in a landmark case that challenges the constitutional limits of political redistricting in Maryland. Benisek v. Lamone, the second gerrymandering case the high court has heard this term, focuses on whether redrawing district lines in favor of one party is a violation of the First Amendment. Michael B. Kimberly, representing O. John Benisek, a resident of Washington County, argued the partisan gerrymandering that occurred in Maryland’s 6th District under then-Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2011 was a violation of the First Amendment due to the additional challenges created by shifting districts for voters. Earlier this term, the Supreme Court heard the Gill v. Whitford case from Wisconsin regarding gerrymandering. In January, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a redistricting order from a lower court in North Carolina. Justice Stephen Breyer suggested waiting until next term, at which point those two cases and the Maryland case could be heard together. It’s a topic addressed last week by Maryland U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen when he talked with students at Frostburg State University…

 

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