Current:Home > ContactUS Supreme Court won’t overrule federal judges’ order to redraw Detroit legislative seats -AssetTrainer
US Supreme Court won’t overrule federal judges’ order to redraw Detroit legislative seats
View
Date:2025-04-17 09:58:37
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request from Michigan’s redistricting commission to overrule an order to redraw 13 Detroit-area seats in the Legislature, a decision that will likely make the legislative maps more competitive.
The redistricting commission had asked the high court to overrule a December ruling by a three-judge federal appeals court panel that Michigan’s legislative maps were illegally influenced by race when drawn in 2021. The panel ruled that although nearly 80% of Detroit residents are Black, the Black voting age population in the 13 Detroit-area districts mostly ranges from 35% to 45%, with one being as low as 19%.
The panel ordered that the seven state House districts have their boundaries redrawn for the 2024 election, and it set a later deadline for the six state Senate districts because the senators’ terms don’t expire until 2026.
A drafted state House map is due by Feb. 2 and a final deadline is March 29.
The Supreme Court did not explain its decision in the order released Monday. Attorneys for the commission did immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
John Bursch, an attorney for the Detroit voters who sued the commission, said they were “very pleased” by the order. Bursch said the commission could still appeal, but he called the Supreme Court’s order “a strong indicator that such an appeal will likely fail.”
Although it’s unknown how the new maps will be drawn, there would likely be an increase in the number of “Detroit-focused” districts that would be solidly Democratic, said David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University in Michigan. That would likely affect districts in the suburbs, which would become more competitive as a result, he said.
“You could see these districts, or even a subset of them, really be where the fight for control of the state House is,” Dulio said.
Michigan Democrats were able to flip the state House and Senate in 2022 while retaining the governor’s office, giving them full control of state government for the first time in 40 years. The party’s success had been attributed, in part, to legislative maps that were redrawn in 2021 by an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
State lawmakers drew the boundaries for Michigan’s seats in Congress and the Legislature until voters in 2018 created an independent commission to handle the once-a-decade job. The commission’s first maps were produced for the 2022 election.
Experts repeatedly told the redistricting commission in 2021 that certain percentages regarding race were necessary to comply with federal law. The appeals court judges disagreed, though.
“The record here shows overwhelmingly — indeed, inescapably — that the commission drew the boundaries of plaintiffs’ districts predominantly on the basis of race. We hold that those districts were drawn in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution,” Judge Raymond Kethledge wrote.
The redistricting process had reduced the number of majority-minority districts in the Legislature from 15 to five, according to the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University.
The 2022 midterms, the first election since redistricting, saw the number of Black lawmakers in the Legislature reduced from 20 to 17. Detroit, which is predominantly Black, was left without Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.
veryGood! (7772)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Fatal Hougang stabbing: Victim was mum of 3, moved to Singapore to provide for family
- US inflation likely edged up last month, though not enough to deter another Fed rate cut
- Joe Burrow’s home broken into during Monday Night Football in latest pro
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Biden and Tribal Leaders Celebrate Four Years of Accomplishments on Behalf of Native Americans
- Making a $1B investment in the US? Trump pledges expedited permits — but there are hurdles
- Jim Carrey Reveals Money Inspired His Return to Acting in Candid Paycheck Confession
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Dick Van Dyke credits neighbors with saving his life and home during Malibu fire
Ranking
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Neanderthals likely began 'mixing' with modern humans later than previously thought
- Horoscopes Today, December 11, 2024
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Jim Carrey Reveals Money Inspired His Return to Acting in Candid Paycheck Confession
- What is Sora? Account creation paused after high demand of AI video generator
- How Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen Navigate Their Private Romance on Their Turf
Recommendation
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
Snoop Dogg Details "Kyrptonite" Bond With Daughter Cori Following Her Stroke at 24
New York Climate Activists Urge Gov. Hochul to Sign ‘Superfund’ Bill
Arizona city sues federal government over PFAS contamination at Air Force base
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Austin Tice's parents reveal how the family coped for the last 12 years
Is that Cillian Murphy as a zombie in the '28 Years Later' trailer?
Epic Games to give refunds after FTC says it 'tricked' Fortnite players into purchases