Lansing — Federal judges have declared 13 of Michigan's House and Senate districts unconstitutional and ordered them redrawn, overturning a key portion of the maps drawn in 2021 by Michigan's inaugural Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

The three-judge panel ordered the Secretary of State to refrain from holding elections in those districts until they are redrawn in compliance with the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The significant court ruling Thursday could have broad implications for the 2024 election, potentially forcing neighboring districts to be reshaped, and could influence which party controls the Michigan Legislature.

In their decision released Thursday, federal judges Raymond Kethledge, Paul Maloney and Janet Neff said the commission's experts relied on incomplete primary data to set Black voting age percentages that would guarantee a Black-preferred candidate could make it through the primary to the general election. That information was critical in the Detroit area, where elections are largely decided in the primary.