In the Matter of the 2021 Redistricting Cases
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The Supreme Court of the State of Alaska reviewed challenges to a redistricting plan adopted by the Alaska Redistricting Board. After the 2020 census, the Board adopted a plan for 40 House of Representative districts and 20 Senate districts. Several entities filed challenges to this plan, arguing that certain districts were unconstitutional due to violations of due process and gerrymandering. The superior court found two House districts and one Senate district to be unconstitutional and directed the Board to undertake further redistricting efforts.
The Alaska Supreme Court then reversed the ruling on the House districts, affirmed the ruling on the Senate district, and remanded for further redistricting. Litigation surrounding the Senate district continued after the Board adopted an amended final plan. The superior court ruled that the revised approach to the Senate district was still an unconstitutional gerrymander, and it ordered an alternative amended plan (considered but not adopted by the Board) to be used as an interim plan in November 2022, while further redistricting efforts were undertaken for a second amended final plan. In an expedited summary order, the Supreme Court agreed with the superior court and affirmed its order for the interim redistricting plan. However, it stayed further redistricting efforts.
This opinion explained the reasoning behind the previous orders issued by the Supreme Court in this litigation, discussing the constitutional framework for redistricting. It also lifted the stay on further redistricting efforts established by the previous summary order, while describing what needs to be done to implement a final redistricting plan for the rest of the decade.
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