After Kentucky drew up redistricting maps based on the 2010 census, a group of mostly Republican lawmakers filed suit. They claimed that the new districts were gerrymandered and failed to respect city and county borders. Many of the new districts have odd shapes, but the lawmakers who headed up the plan claim that the new boundaries are necessary to make sure districts are equivalent in size and population.
The Kentucky legislature has ground to a halt as lawmakers argue over the new map. Many important pieces of legislation have stalled as Democrats and Republicans fight it out. Now, a circuit court judge has overturned the redistricting plan and reinstated the old map. Many politicians don’t know which district they’ll ultimately end up in or how the turmoil will affect Kentucky’s upcoming primaries. As it is, all candidates have had to refile for election since the court threw out the redistricting plan. Democrats plan to appeal the court’s decision and to force the state Supreme Court to rule on their redistricting plan.
Sharyn O’Halloran is the George Blumenthal Professor of Political Economy and Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.