ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The same day the fight over the congressional redistricting map ended, a 245-page report on the legislative redistricting map was published.
The report, prepared by Special Magistrate Alan Wilner, concludes a discussion of each petition with a recommendation that each should be denied.
There were four separate petitions filed against the legislative redistricting map, and oral arguments were heard in the case on March 23 and 24.
The Special Magistrate went through the complaints brought in each petition and why he was recommending each should be denied.
The one issue he felt it too close to the election to take up in this discussion was that of voting equality.
"In a three-Delegate district, each voter can vote for three Delegates. As petitioners have argued, in a one-Delegate district, the voters can vote for only one Delegate," writes Judge Wilner.
"The issue has been raised, and it is a fair one that deserves attention. The problem is one of time. To strike down a provision of the Maryland Constitution (Art. III, § 3) that has been an integral part of our redistricting law for 50 years, with a general election on our doorstep and a legislative session about to end, can create as much mischief as it it resolves."
- Special Magistrate Report
Senate President Bill Ferguson and Speaker Adrienne Jones released a joint statement on the report's release on Monday evening.
New Statement from @SpeakerAJones and me on the State legislative map recommendations by Judge Wilner. pic.twitter.com/WyAbP7YcI1
— Bill Ferguson (@SenBillFerg) April 4, 2022
The case, which went straight to the Appeals Court, has not yet been decided.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of petitions filed against the legislative redistricting map.
