NJ Justices Nix Redistricting Challenge, Draw Rare Dissent (1)

The New Jersey Supreme Court rejected a challenge to municipal political district drawing, short-circuiting litigation that could have led to a wave of redistricting lawsuits across the state.

The divided court ruled that judges need not consider mathematical formulas or community cohesion when deciding if a political district meets the state’s mandate for “compactness.” Importing mathematical formulas or tests for “communities of interest” into challenges of municipal districts isn’t required by the state’s redistricting statute or the state constitution.

“Ward commissions have the discretion to consider the impact of a ward’s boundaries on communities of interest, but if they do ...