U.S. Supreme Court rejects request to halt Michigan House map redraw

A request by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) to suspend an order to redraw 13 state House and Senate districts in metro Detroit has been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The decision to redraw the districts was made Dec. 21 by a panel of three federal judges which determined that the MICRC diluted Black voting power in Detroit with new voting maps drawn in 2021, violating the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by predominantly drawing several voting districts on the basis of race. 

The MICRC was then ordered to complete the new maps for the seven state House districts by Feb. 2, so they can undergo public comment and be in effect for this year’s election, a process that is still underway. The areas subject to the redraw include the Grosse Pointe and St. Clair Shores suburbs, Downriver Detroit and parts of Oakland and Macomb counties.

The six state Senate maps must be redrawn ahead of the 2026 election.

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to take up the appeal, the current aggressive timeline remains in effect as the filing deadline for the 2024 primary election approaches on April 23. For context, it took the commission more than a year to approve the maps at the end of 2021 that were used for the 2022 election.

After holding several meetings remotely, the commission moved to in-person meetings in Detroit beginning on Monday and continuing Tuesday. That will be followed by a week of remote meetings, with the final session planned for Feb. 1 to ensure each map complies with the commission’s criteria, and to deliberate on which maps to move forward and vote. 

Members also agreed not to consider race when crafting the new maps, and have them examined for Voting Rights Act compliance after they are drawn. 

The MICRC was created by a 2018 constitutional amendment passed by voters. The 13-member body has four Republicans, four Democrats and five independents. Previously, the Legislature would design new districts every 10 years and the governor would sign off, providing an advantage to whichever political party was in power at the time.