A little over two weeks ago, the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the Ohio Redistricting Commission to come up with a new legislative map by the close of business on February 17. This was the third bite at the apple for the Commission, after the court invalidated two earlier maps for their failure to set forth fair and proportional districts in compliance with Ohio law.
Despite the fact that there are computer programs that could, in a matter of seconds, spit out maps to basically any specification — including those that set forth fair and proportional districts in compliance with Ohio law — the Commission missed the deadline. On Friday, in what has been described as “an extraordinary move,” Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor demanded that Gov. DeWine and the other members of the Commission explain why they should not be held in contempt for failing to deliver a map. They have until noon on Wednesday to get their stories straight.
