The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week concerning racial gerrymandering in Southern states has legislatures in those areas, mostly led by Republicans, rushing to redraw their congressional maps ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
In Maryland, outgoing State Sen. Arthur Ellis said his chamber should be doing the same thing.
Ellis, the most outspoken Maryland Senate Democrat pushing for a new congressional map, made his frustration with Senate President Bill Ferguson plainly apparent during this year’s legislative session, and those feelings haven’t changed.
“He’s a traitor to the Democratic Party,” said Ellis, who is now in the crowded field of candidates seeking to replace Rep. Steny Hoyer in Congress. “We cannot just sit back and continue to do nothing in Maryland, specifically the Senate of Maryland.”
Ellis said momentum for redistricting is building in Republican-led states, pointing to recent moves by Republicans in Louisiana and South Carolina.
“I am so ashamed of the Senate of Maryland,” Ellis told ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½, describing some colleagues as “quiet and cowering to the bullies.”
He vowed the votes were there in the state Senate to pass a new map already passed by the House of Delegates.
On Wednesday, one member of the Senate leadership said that was probably true, even if some of the yes votes would be reluctant. But another leadership source said a special session won’t be happening and new maps won’t be drawn this year.
A majority of Maryland’s Supreme Court justices were appointed by former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. When Democrats tried to draw a map with eight Democrats and no Republicans in 2022, those justices shut it down and redrew a more Republican-friendly map than what exists right now.
There’s belief that it would happen again with no way for Democrats to reverse the seat they would lose this year.
But next year seems like it’ll be a different story.
One source said it might require a change to the state’s constitution to make what’s already considered a gerrymandered map hold up in the courts. At this point, that hasn’t been seriously discussed yet. But just because it’s not on the table right now doesn’t mean it’s not hovering near it.
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