The Kentucky Democratic Party is appealing a decision from a Franklin County judge that found the Kentucky legislature GOP-dominated 2022 redistricting maps constitutional, even though they were developed using partisan gerrymandering.
Franklin Court Judge Thomas Wingate ruled in November that the redistricting maps passed by the legislature in early 2022 are constitutional, if only because Kentucky’s constitution doesn’t prohibit partisan gerrymandering.
Now, the state’s Democratic Party has appealed the decision to the state Court of Appeals requesting the case be expedited to the state Supreme Court.
“We are continuing our fight to stop the partisan gerrymandering of the GOP supermajority and are appealing this case to stop extreme Republicans from slicing up cities and counties every 10 years to put political gain above the best interests of Kentuckians,” said Colmon Elridge, the Kentucky Democratic Party chair.
Kentucky Democrats filed the lawsuit in January, alleging partisan gerrymandering and excessive splitting of counties, specifically in Northern Kentucky. The legislature redraws the maps every 10 years.
“…the Kentucky Constitution does not explicitly prohibit the General Assembly from making partisan considerations during the apportionment process,” Wingate wrote in his ruling. “The Court acknowledges that other states’ constitutions prohibit partisan gerrymandering or assign redistricting to a nonpartisan committee, but this Court’s concern is only with the Kentucky Constitution.”
Elridge said the court was clear these districts were partisan gerrymanders, and they affect hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians.
“As evidenced by the election, the Republican majority worked behind closed doors to draw districts that cut up communities for partisan gain to beat incumbents they couldn’t beat on a fair playing field,” Elridge said. “If this isn’t stopped now, Republicans will only grow bolder in their partisan gerrymandering in coming decades, allowing Frankfort politicians to decide who they represent, picking easier paths to power and reelection, rather than allowing Kentuckians to decide who represents them.”
When Wingate issued his decision, current House Speaker David Osborne (R-Prospect) and Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) said last month that the decision proves that the maps were done fairly.
“Today’s ruling only confirms what those who worked on the redistricting process have known all along – that the redistricting plans passed during the 2022 Regular Session meet every legal and constitutional requirement,” Osborne said. “These plans are the product of a committed effort to meet all considerations while maximizing every community’s influence to the greatest extent possible.”
The Republican Party of Kentucky Spokesman Sean Southard said that the Kentucky Democratic Party continues to run to the courts to save themselves from their poor recruiting class from the most recent election.
“They are, of course, welcome to pursue any sort of frivolous lawsuit they wish, but their time and energy would be better spent conducting a post-mortem to find out why only 20 members of their caucus remain in the state house in Frankfort,” Southard said, referring to Republicans in the House now holding 80 out of 100 seats where they previously had 75.
The Senate GOP also gained one seat and will hold 31 out of 38.
Correction: This article previously stated that Sean Southard is the Chair of the Republican Party of Kentucky. It’s been corrected to reflect he is the spokesman.
