Ohio Court gives commission until Wednesday to explain why it can’t draw maps

2/18/2022- 7:43 p.m.

Ohio’s Supreme Court wants a written explanation by noon Wednesday for why the state’s redistricting commission shouldn’t be held in contempt for failing to draw new legislative maps. 

The seven-member commission has submitted two sets of maps for Ohio’s 99 state House seats and 33 Senate districts, but a 4-3 majority on the court threw them both out as unconstitutional. 

The third set of legislative maps were supposed to be done by midnight Thursday, but the Republican majority said it was impossible to comply with the court’s redistricting demands.

Democrats said the GOP members didn’t want to try. 

And now the Ohio Supreme Court wants to know why it shouldn’t find the commission in contempt for violating its deadline.

“The clerk shall refuse to file a response that is untimely…,” according to the announcement. “No requests or stipulations for extension of time shall be filed, and the clerk shall refuse to file any requests or stipulations for extension of time.”

The court, in both 4-3 its decisions, ruled that maps must comply with the statewide voting preferences of Ohioans over the past decade, which were 54% for Republican candidates and 46% for Democratic ones.

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said Thursday said that’s not possible without violating the other constitutional rules for redistricting like not dividing counties and other municipalities. 

It’s not entirely clear what will happen if the court finds the commission, which includes Gov. Mike DeWine, in contempt.

A group of Republican voters filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday morning asking a three-judge panel to enact the second set of legislative maps.