Maryland Judge Blocks Redistricting Amendment From Ballot
Is this a justified response to Republican gerrymandering or a Democratic power grab disguised as democracy?
Above: A demonstration ahead of a special legislative session at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 17. Image credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Maryland's redistricting push wasn't a power grab but a direct response to Texas Republicans redrawing maps mid-decade to tilt national power. When one state rigs the game, others can't just sit back. A Republican-appointed judge blocking the amendment doesn't make it wrong, and an appeal is the right next move.
Republican narrative
Maryland Democrats already hold seven of eight congressional seats and still tried to redraw maps to erase the last Republican district on the Eastern Shore. Courts on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay are raising red flags about rushed timelines and misleading ballot language. A majority using maps to eliminate all opposition is just rigging.
