Gerrymandering/Redistricting

"When politicians feel brazen enough to not just admit but to openly declare that they are drawing political lines to rig the elections and punish certain voters, we need the Supreme Court to step in and say enough is enough," said Kathay Feng, a lawyer representing the challenges from Common Cause.

The effort was applauded Friday by the government watchdog Common Cause. “Congress is finally listening to the growing demands for reform from the American people,” the group’s president, Karen Hobert Flynn, said in a statement. “On Election Day, voters from coast-to coast sent a clear message that we are ready for bold, comprehensive democracy reforms.”

Congress is finally listening to the growing demands for reform from the American people. That H.R. 1 will be a sweeping set of pro-democracy reforms is an encouraging sign that the new Congress has its priorities in line with the will of the people. On Election Day, voters from coast-to-coast sent a clear message that we are ready for bold, comprehensive democracy reforms. Tired of the status quo, Americans passed nearly two dozen ballot initiatives across the nation ranging from redistricting reforms, ethics, same day and automatic voter registration to citizen-funded elections measures to ensure that the people have a voice in their democracy. These passed in red states, blue states, and purple states alike with strong support from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

Damon Effingham, director of the Common Cause Maryland nonprofit, praised Hogan's executive order to create a commission but said enduring redistricting changes were needed. "There are limits to the commission, as without a decision from the Supreme Court or legislation from the General Assembly, Marylanders aren't guaranteed to continue having an open, non-partisan process under future governors," Effingham said.

“To not hear this case would be a bad outcome because we would end up with a ruling that only applies to Maryland,” said Damon Effingham, executive director of Common Cause Maryland. “It would still be incredibly difficult to get the reforms that we’re hoping for.”

"Because lawmakers stubbornly refuse to consider passing redistricting reform, we're left with no choice but to litigate," Common Cause NC Executive Director Bob Phillips said in a release announcing the lawsuit. "Gerrymandering is detrimental to democracy, denying voters a choice and a voice on Election Day."