The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal to overturn federal court orders requiring Michigan’s redistricting commission to redraw 13 state legislative districts around Detroit to make them more competitive.
The courts declared the previous maps unconstitutional, citing improper racial influence.
The commission was ordered to redraw boundaries for state House districts in time for the 2024 election and establish a later deadline for state Senate districts.
“You could see these districts, or even a subset of them, really be where the fight for control of the state House is,” Oakland University political science professor David Dulio said.
The Supreme Court’s decision was not explained, but it indicates that an appeal is likely to fail.
“The record here shows overwhelmingly—indeed, inescapably—that the commission drew the boundaries of plaintiffs’ districts predominantly based on 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 redrawing may lead to an increase in Democratic-leaning districts in Detroit, potentially influencing the competitiveness of suburban districts.
The redistricting process had reduced the number of majority-minority districts in the Legislature, leading to fewer black lawmakers and a lack of black representation in Congress from Detroit.
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