What's Next for Legislative Maps?
House Redistricting Committee Chair Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) was repeatedly grilled by Republicans in recent days over proposed changes to legislative maps passed in May.
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We outlined the other day what member vs. member primaries and general election matchups looked like under the first version of new legislative maps submitted this week. The only change Tuesday morning was that Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) and Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) were placed in their own districts.
Governor JB Pritzker is expected to sign the new maps, but the question of an ongoing federal lawsuit remains. So, what comes next?
Obviously, the population deviation issue that was central to the Republican lawsuit is out the window with the changes to the maps this week.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) still doesn’t believe the map adequately appropriated seats for Latinos, which may become the most contentious part of the remaining suit.
The Republican argument likely will change some. Sources indicate the GOP will argue now that the maps were passed in May and signed a few days later, the legislature doesn’t have the ability to revise them after June 30th. That the constitution requires any map action after July 1 to fall to a bipartisan commission.
Democrats, of course, will say the constitution is clear about passing maps by June 30th, but is silent on whether they can come back and be amended. It’s very rare for maps to be amended after they’re enacted, typically reserved for when a judge throws out a congressional map (like has happened in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida in the past decade).
Democrats we’ve spoken to are confident in their super lawyer, Michael Kasper, to ward off GOP and MALDEF challenges, but we’re in pretty uncharted territory for the 1970 constitution.
Plaintiffs will amend their complaints, the defense will respond, the court will push back the trial date (which was originally this month), and then both sides will get cracking for a trial, likely by the end of the year.
If you’re looking for them, here is the new House map and here is the new Senate map.
