Ohio Supreme Court strikes down state legislative maps

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled the new state legislative maps to be unconstitutional, sending them back to a redistricting commission to be redrawn.

Why it matters: The 4-3 ruling announced yesterday is meant to spur the creation of new maps that fairly represent Ohio's political makeup.

Catch up quick: State and federal legislative maps are redrawn each decade to reflect population shifts.

• The Ohio Redistricting Commission's Republican members approved maps last September that election data shows would have likely given the GOP supermajorities in both legislative chambers.
• Voting rights groups quickly sued, claiming the maps violated a 2015 statewide constitutional amendment that sought a more bipartisan, transparent approach to redistricting.

The ruling: Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican, joined three Democrats in deeming the maps unconstitutional for not following a mandate to produce results proportional to the state's political leanings.

What's next: The maps head back to the commission, which has 10 days to draw new ones.

• The court will review the new maps again before they are officially adopted.