Equal Districts Coalition Reacts After Supreme Court Rejects 5th Round of Illegal, Republican-Drawn Statehouse Maps
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2022
Contact:
Rachel Coyle, coyle@innovationohio.org
COLUMBUS — Today, the Equal Districts Coalition — a group of over 30 Ohio advocacy organizations and labor unions engaged in the redistricting process — released the following statement after the Ohio Supreme Court rejected Republican-drawn Statehouse maps for a fifth time, but failed to order the Republican Redistricting commissioners to be held in contempt:
“Today, a bipartisan majority of Ohio Supreme Court justices again struck down unconstitutionally gerrymandered maps drawn by the Republican Commissioners. While we welcome this decision, we are disappointed that the court failed to use their authority to hold the Republican Redistricting Commission members in contempt. The Equal Districts Coalition has directly called for contempt in recent days — no one should be above the law.
“It takes an extreme situation for a coalition of professional organizations to reach the conclusion that their state’s governor, top elections official, and other state leaders should be held in contempt of court, but that is where we found ourselves after a fifth round of the Republicans’ redistricting farce.
“Five separate times, Ohioans watched as Governor DeWine, Frank LaRose, and other high ranking Republicans knowingly violated our state constitution in order to rig Statehouse district maps to help their party win elections. Chief Justice O’Connor is right to name their actions as a ‘stunning rebuke of the rule of law.’
”Most recently, Republicans ignored readily available bipartisan districts and instead passed a set of maps that had already been struck down as unconstitutional. Their disrespect for our constitution, the court, and their oaths of office is startling. They have been outright mocking Ohio voters and our state’s top court — daring anyone to hold them accountable.
“The Equal Districts Coalition is grateful for the Supreme Court’s decision to reject the illegal maps. It is imperative that the court majority continues to stand with Ohioans and for our state Constitution.
“We are also eager to begin the court-ordered redraw process immediately. As we have made painfully clear, justice delayed is justice denied. Ohioans must not be forced to endure even one more election using illegal maps.
“If the Republican Commissioners are ultimately able to secure illegal maps for 2022 by throwing a tantrum in front of a federal court, it will have a lasting and devastating impact on our state government going forward. Each time a new law is passed, the legislature’s legitimacy will come into question. This path is unsustainable.
“Republicans have planned to run out the clock from the beginning. While they could succeed in ramming through unfair maps this year, the fight for the rest of the decade cannot and will not be conceded.
”Going forward, our coalition will be working to ensure every Ohioan knows what the disgraced Republican commissioners have done.
”And no matter how long it takes, we will not stop fighting until Ohioans have the fair, constitutional district maps they demanded.”
“This long-term attack on our democracy is its own form of insurrection. It is a civil overthrow of our state government. A bureaucratic coup. It weakens the legitimacy of our government bodies and increases the likelihood that future lawmakers will become lawbreakers as well.
“It is important to name the lawbreakers:
Governor Mike DeWine (R)
Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R)
State Auditor Keith Faber (R)
Senate President Matt Huffman (R)
House Speaker Bob Cupp (R)
Senator Rob McColley (R)
State Rep Jeff LaRe (R)
“It is also important to note that these Republican lawmakers’ crimes were premeditated. They saw a threat to their unearned power emerge years ago as voters collected signatures to ban rigged maps, and have been attempting to thwart the process ever since. Senate President Matt Huffman himself helped write the law, likely planning for how it could later be exploited.
”Then, when Republicans still couldn’t overcome state law, they ran to Trump-appointed judges in the federal court to help them cheat Ohioans.
"Ohioans, and the Commission, should remember Chief Justice O'Connor's words: ‘the power rests at all times with the people.’"
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The Equal Districts Coalition is the largest redistricting coalition in Ohio, with over 30 member organizations. It includes the Ohio State Conference of the NAACP, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, OAPSE/AFSCME, Ohio Farmers Union, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, the Ohio Environmental Council, OFUPAC, Innovation Ohio, the Ohio Student Association, ProgressOhio, All On the Line-Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, Ohio Council of Churches, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, URGE – Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, LEAD Ohio, the Ohio Women’s Alliance, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Education Association, CAIR-Ohio, Campus Vote Project, For Our Future Ohio, Ohio Unity Coalition, Equality Ohio, The Freedom Bloc, and more.
