Calling it "an extreme gerrymander," a Maryland judge on Friday tossed out the state's new congressional district map and ordered state lawmakers to produce a new one before the end of the month.
In the ruling, Judge Lynne A. Battaglia said the eight congressional districts drawn by the Democrat-controlled state Legislature lacked compactness and demonstrated a disregard for existing political boundaries like counties and cities. The map "subordinates constitutional criteria to political considerations," Battaglia wrote, and in doing so violates the Maryland Constitution's equal protection and free elections clauses. It's the first time in Maryland history that a judge has discarded a redistricting map for being too politically slanted, according to The Washington Post, which is really saying something given the state's recent history.
