In a 2-1 opinion, a federal panel made up of district and appellate judges ruled that the House violated the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause by prioritizing race during the 2011 redistricting process.
“Overwhelming evidence in this case shows that, contrary to this constitutional mandate, the state has sorted voters into districts based on the color of their skin,” Judge Barbara Milano Keenan wrote in the majority opinion.
The court instructed the General Assembly to craft a “remedial districting plan” by the fall, which could lead to a more Democratic-friendly electoral map for the 2019 legislative elections.