Maryland court rules Democratic-backed redistricting amendment cannot go on November ballot

A Maryland judge on Wednesday barred a constitutional amendment from the November ballot, disrupting Democratic efforts to gain greater control over congressional redistricting. Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Robert Thompson ruled that lawmakers failed to meet a statutory deadline for ballot measures and used misleading language describing the proposal as a clarification. He also found the amendment violated Maryland’s single-subject requirement by addressing Supreme Court jurisdiction over congressional redistricting lawsuits. Thompson stayed the injunction pending an appeal to the Supreme Court of Maryland, leaving the measure’s ballot status unresolved. The amendment, House Bill 2100, would specify that Maryland’s compactness and natural-boundary standards apply to state legislative districts, not congressional districts. Democrats control seven of Maryland’s eight House seats; Republican Rep. Andy Harris holds the eighth. The Maryland State Board of Elections faces an Aug. 31 deadline for finalizing ballot materials. The case is one of two challenges to the amendment.