TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jun 27, 2019
In a 5-4 decision along traditional conservative-liberal ideological lines, the Supreme Court ruled that partisan redistricting is a political question — not reviewable by federal courts — and that those courts can't judge if extreme gerrymandering violates the constitution, NPR reports. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, noted that excessive partisanship in the drawing of districts does lead to results that "reasonably seem unjust," but he said that does not mean it is the court's responsibility to find a solution. The ruling puts the onus on the legislative branch, and on individual states, to police redistricting efforts.