DETROIT, MI (MPRN)-- State officials in Michigan are blasting the US Supreme Court decision to reject cases involving partisan gerrymandering.
Michigan’s Secretary of State fears the ruling will have a chilling effect on challenges to government over-reach.
The High Court ruled it had no business deciding whether political boundaries were unfairly drawn because federal courts should not decide political questions. That likely includes a lower court decision that Michigan’s legislative map was gerrymandered.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says the ruling could prevent citizens from addressing any issue where politics is a consideration.
“That is a different role than the federal courts have played over time. And I think that whether this is the tip of an iceberg or a brewing storm is also cause for concern,” she says.
Michigan had been preparing to rewrite its legislative boundaries in time for the 2020 elections.
A voter-approved bipartisan commission will still redraw the lines—in time for the 2022 elections.