Maryland judge blocks Democratic redistricting amendment from November ballot

A Maryland judge on Wednesday ruled that a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing Democrats to redraw the state's congressional districts cannot be placed on the November ballot. The decision, issued by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Robert Thompson, is a setback for Democratic efforts to counter Republican-led redistricting pushes in other states.

The amendment, referred to the ballot by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, sought to overturn a 2022 court ruling that struck down a previous Democratic redistricting plan. It would have clarified that constitutional requirements for districts to be compact and respect natural boundaries apply only to state legislative districts, not congressional ones. That change would permit Democratic lawmakers to draw congressional lines crossing the Chesapeake Bay, potentially reshaping the district currently held by Republican Rep. Andy Harris.

Judge Thompson found that lawmakers violated a deadline set earlier this year for certifying ballot summaries. A law signed by Gov. Wes Moore required the secretary of state to certify summaries of all statewide ballot questions by July 1. The state attorney general's office argued the deadline did not apply because lawmakers wrote their own summary using constitutional authority. The judge disagreed, siding with the conservative Oversight Project and Republican state lawmakers who filed suit.

The judge paused the effect of his ruling to allow an appeal to the Maryland Supreme Court. Democrats currently hold seven of Maryland's eight congressional seats, and the amendment was part of a broader push to capture the remaining seat.

The ruling follows a similar decision in Virginia, where the state Supreme Court invalidated a redistricting ballot measure over procedural violations. Both states were seeking to emulate California, where voters approved a Democratic-backed amendment allowing mid-decade redistricting. Democrats hope to gain several seats from redrawn districts in California and Utah, while Republicans aim to add as many as 16 seats from new districts in states like Alabama, Florida, and Texas.

Redistricting typically occurs after each census, but this year's mid-decade battle was fueled by former President Donald Trump's urging of Republican-led states to redraw maps to protect the party's narrow House majority.