The complaint alleges that Ohio’s new state House and Senate maps are unfairly drawn to ensure that Republicans win far more seats in both chambers of the Ohio Legislature than Democrats would win with an equivalent share of the statewide vote.

The complaint states that “[t]hese abuses are especially borne by members of Ohio’s growing Black and Muslim communities who, because of Ohio’s political geography, are among the communities that bear the brunt of the enacted partisan gerrymander and are burdened in effectively organizing and having their voices heard by elected leaders.”

According to Reed Smith appellate partner Brian A. Sutherland, who is involved in the lawsuit, “The Ohio commission drew the lines to give one political party more than its fair share of representation, and its unconstitutional gerrymander required this lawsuit.”

In addition to Sutherland, the Reed Smith pro bono team serving as co-counsel on the complaint with the Brennan Center for Justice includes partners Peter M. Ellis, Benjamin Fliegel, and M. Patrick Yingling, and associates Natalie Salazar and Danielle Stewart.

For more information, please read the news release from the Brennan Center for Justice at brennancenter.org.