Lawsuit argues new Michigan House map gives Republicans an unfair advantage

The newly drawn state House districts give Republicans an unfair advantage, according to a new lawsuit challenging the work of the Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission.

The lawsuit, filed by a group of voting rights advocates on Tuesday, asks the Michigan Supreme Court to order the commission to redraw the maps and make them fairer to Democrats.

It’s the third lawsuit filed against the commission since late December, when the bi-partisan group approved new districts for Congress and the state House and Senate.

The first lawsuit was filed in early January by Black leaders, who argue that the maps are racially discriminatory and violate the Voting Rights Act.

About two weeks later, seven Michigan Republicans filed a lawsuit against the commission, arguing that the congressional maps are “non-neutral,” “arbitrary,” and disregard community boundaries.

In the latest lawsuit, the League of Women Voters of Michigan, Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote Michigan, and Detroit Action, among others, argue that the commission failed to create fair political maps as required by a voter-backed referendum in 2018. The new state House map “effectively tilts State House elections toward Republican control of the Legislature for the next decade,” the suit alleges.

The trio of lawsuits comes as political candidates are beginning to file paperwork to run in congressional and legislative districts. They have until April 19 to decide where to run. A last-minute change to the maps could force candidates to either move or run in a different district.

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