Kentucky Supreme Court Upholds GOP-Drawn District Boundaries

Court Rejects Democratic Claims of Gerrymandering, Notes Constitution Doesn't Forbid Partisan Considerations in Redistricting

The Kentucky Supreme Court upheld the Republican-drawn boundaries for state House and congressional districts, rejecting Democratic claims of gerrymandering.
The court noted that an alternative proposal would have resulted in nearly the same advantage for Republicans in Kentucky House elections and would not have altered the GOP’s 5-1 advantage in U.S. House seats.
The new district boundaries were passed by the GOP-dominated legislature over Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes in early 2022 and were used in last year’s election.
The court concluded that the once-a-decade mapmaking did not violate Kentucky’s constitution and that the constitution doesn’t explicitly forbid the consideration of partisan interests during redistricting.
With the new districts in effect in last November’s midterm election, Republicans increased their legislative supermajorities.