Ohio Supreme Court strikes down state legislative, congressional district maps
 
In two much-anticipated decisions, the Ohio Supreme Court this week ruled that maps for Ohio’s state legislative and congressional districts were unconstitutional.
 
In a 4-3 opinion released on Wednesday, Justices O’Connor, Stewart, Donnelly and Brunner ruled that the Ohio House and Senate maps violated Article XI of the Ohio Constitution which states that the Ohio Redistricting Commission shall attempt to draw districts in proportion to the statewide partisan voting patterns of the past ten years. Republicans had won approximately 54 percent of statewide elecgtion votes over the past ten years, with Democrats earning 46 percent. The maps approved by the redistricting commission were expected to favor Republicans in 62 out of 99 House seats and 23 out of 33 Senate seats.
 
In its ruling, the court ordered the redistricting commission to draw new constitutionally compliant maps within 10 days. The tight timetable places the redistricting commission under pressure, with a looming February 2 filing deadline for statehouse candidates. Without established district lines, candidates will not know which district to file within. State legislative leaders have considered moving back the filing deadline date and/or the May primary date to allow for more time.
 
Later in the week on Friday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in another 4-3 decision to invalidate Ohio’s congressional map, citing an “undue partisan bias” in the map’s boundaries which violate the anti-gerrymandering rules of the Ohio Constitution. Once again, Chief Justice O’Connor joined Justices Stewart, Donnelly and Brunner in overturning the map. The enacted congressional map favored Republicans in 12 out of 15 congressional seats according to some analyses.
 
With the ruling, state lawmakers now have 30 days to pass a new map. If they are unable to pass a new plan, the process would turn over to the Ohio Redistricting Commission. House and Senate voting sessions scheduled for next week have been cancelled.
 
The full opinions for the state redistricting ruling and congressional rulings can be accessed below.
 
State legislative districts: League of Women Voters of Ohio v. Ohio Redistricting Commission
Congressional districts: Adams v. DeWine

US Supreme Court stays OSHA vaccine rule for large employers, allows mandate for medical workers

 The United States Supreme Court on Thursday reinstituted a stay to prevent the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from enforcing its rule to require vaccination for COVID-19 at employers with 100 or more employees.
 
In the case argued by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office, the Court ruled that the OSHA rule exceeded the scope of workplace safety and reached into the realm of public health.
 
AG Yost shared following the ruling, “Americans have lost too much to this disease already -- all of us want this pandemic to end -- but it is critical that we do not lose our Constitution, too,” Yost said. “Today’s ruling protects our individual rights and states’ rights to pursue the solutions that work best for their citizens.”
 
In a separate opinion, the Court granted a stay of lower court injunctions against a US Health and Human Services rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees as a condition of receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding.