2nd lawsuit challenges Ohio congressional maps, accuses GOP of gerrymandering

A second lawsuit challenging Ohio's new congressional map was filed at the state supreme court Tuesday.

The League of Women Voters of Ohio, the Ohio Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and several individuals accused Republican lawmakers of manipulating lines to favor their party over Democrats.

"Our elected officials have once again flagrantly violated the will of Ohioans, who have repeatedly voted for fair districts," said Freda Levenson, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which filed the suit along with the national ACLU and Covington & Burling LLP. "Judicial intervention is critical to prevent these self-serving officials from perpetuating the terrible tradition of extreme partisan gerrymandering in our state."

Ohio's GOP-controlled Legislature passed the map along party lines and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed it into law shortly after. The map will last four years because it did not pass with bipartisan support. 

The lawsuit argues that the map, conservatively, creates 10 safe districts for Republicans, two safe districts for Democrats and three "arguably competitive districts that will favor Republicans." The result is the map unduly favors Republicans in violation of voter-approved changes in the Ohio Constitution, according to the complaint. 

The map also disadvantages Democratic incumbents by placing two in districts that favor Republicans, according to the complaint.

Take Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo: "In 2020, she comfortably won reelection with 63% of two-party voters. The enacted plan, however, slices her old district into five districts," according to the complaint.

This is the second lawsuit filed against Ohio's new congressional map. The National Redistricting Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit backed by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, also sued over Ohio's congressional map.

Republicans who approved the map have defended it as competitive and constitutional. Ohio Senate GOP spokesman John Fortney called said the filing was "yet another far-left, special interest-backed lawsuit."

More:Redistricting: Eric Holder-backed lawsuit challenges Ohio congressional map

These legal challenges come after Democratic and good government groups filed lawsuits against state House and Senate maps that would ensure a veto-proof majority for Republicans. 

Read the complaint:

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.