Argues reusing current districts would be unconstitutional
Urges Court to redraw lines using best practices, if they do so
CONCORD, N.H. – The ACLU of New Hampshire yesterday filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the ongoing congressional redistricting lawsuit, Norelli v. Secretary of State. The amicus brief argues that using the existing congressional districts for the next ten years would be unconstitutional, and urges the court to implement map drawing best practices should they ultimately draw New Hampshire’s two new congressional districts.
“Simply re-implementing the current congressional map for the next ten years would mean that some Granite State votes counted more than others—and that’s unconstitutional,” said Henry Klementowicz, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU of New Hampshire. “Should the New Hampshire Supreme Court draw the new congressional map, we urge them to draw new lines that disregard partisan political implications. Redistricting impacts the very foundation of our democracy, and we should all hold the highest of standards for fair maps.”
As detailed in the brief, the Court cannot re-implement the existing congressional maps created in 2012 because of the egregious population difference shown in the 2020 U.S. Census. Under state and federal constitutional provisions, one person’s vote must be approximately equal to every other person’s vote.
The ACLU of New Hampshire’s brief also urges the Court to adopt several best practices in the redistricting and map drawing process, including that districts must contain similar populations, be contiguous, and move the fewest number of people possible from one district to another—and that the Court should not consider the political implications of any potential plan.