Kansas Congressional Redistricting Challenge (Rivera)
Rivera v. Schwab

Filed: February 14, 2022

Decided: April 25, 2022

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Lawsuit filed on behalf of Kansas voters and the organization Loud Light against Kansas’ new congressional map. The plaintiffs argue that the new map, which was enacted after Republicans overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) veto, is a partisan gerrymander that favors Republicans and dilutes minority voting strength in violation of multiple provisions of the Kansas Constitution. Specifically, the plaintiffs argue that the Republican map drawers explicitly set out to gerrymander the state in their favor by splitting up Wyandotte and Douglas Counties, the state’s two Democratic strongholds and heavily minority counties, and “submerging” their populations into heavily white and Republican districts. The resulting map allegedly contains non-compact districts that do not respect political boundaries or communities of interest. The lawsuit asks the court to block the enacted map and order the creation of a new plan that complies with state law. The case was consolidated with Alonzo v. Schwab. After a trial was held in early April, the judge struck down the congressional map for being a partisan gerrymander that benefits Republicans and dilutes the voting strength of voters of color in violation of the state constitution.