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The OEC’s Fight for Fair Maps at the Ohio Supreme Court [December, 2021]

Chris Tavenor, General Counsel, December 7, 2021

In late September, the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) joined forces with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC), the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), and six individual plaintiffs to challenge the gerrymandered state house redistricting plan. Together, we’re represented by the Brennan Center for Justice out of New York University and the law firm Reed Smith.

After two months of legal procedural work, we’ve reached our day in court. On December 8, 2021, our counsel will argue with attorneys for the Ohio Redistricting Commission before the seven justices of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Our attorneys are making three specific arguments:

  • The Ohio Redistricting Commission did not draw districts for the equal protection and benefit of the people of Ohio (violating Article 1, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution).
  • The Ohio Redistricting Commission created a gerrymandered map that infringes upon our liberty of speech and of assembly (violating Article 1, Section 11 of the Ohio Constitution).
  • The Ohio Redistricting Commission drew gerrymandered maps that favor the Republican Party and do not correspond to the statewide voting preferences of all Ohioans (violating Article IX, Section 6 of the Ohio Constitution).

If you would like to dive more deeply into the legal arguments made by the Brennan Center for Justice, you can read our original complaint and our merits brief on the Supreme Court website.

If you would like to watch the oral arguments, they will be live streamed on the Ohio Channel starting at 9 AM on Wednesday, December 8. Two other cases are scheduled for oral argument before the Supreme Court, so keep in mind that our arguments may not occur right at 9 AM.

Thank you for your continued support of our fight for fair maps. Following oral arguments, we hope to hear news that the gerrymandered maps have been invalidated. When that happens, we’ll return to testifying for fair maps before the Ohio Redistricting Commission!