Washington Examiner: Supreme Court Gears Up to Hear Second Partisan Gerrymandering Case

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The fight over partisan gerrymandering will be before the Supreme Court again next week with a case that could potentially affect future elections at the state and federal levels.

The justices will gather Wednesday to hear oral arguments in a challenge to the boundaries drawn by Maryland Democrats in 2011 for the state’s 6th Congressional District, which the plaintiffs in the case argued was a partisan gerrymander that violated their First Amendment rights.

The approaching argument marks the second time this term the Supreme Court will hear a case that deals with partisan gerrymandering, the practice of redrawing district boundaries in a manner that benefits one political party over another.

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If the Supreme Court devises a workable standard for addressing partisan gerrymandering and deems either of the maps in the Wisconsin or Maryland cases unconstitutional, Ruth Greenwood, senior legal counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, said it could have a significant impact on future elections.

“Hopefully the [redistricting] plans that get passed are actually fair,” she said during an event highlighting a tool that can identity partisan gerrymanders Friday. “Hopefully it encourages people to be better actors and create plans that are actually fair, and by fair, I mean fair to the voters.”

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