Judge Bill Klapper, 29th District Court Judge located in Wyandotte County Kansas, ruled this morning that the Ad Astra 2 map violated the state constitution. Multiple lawsuits were heard recently over the US Congressional Map for Kansas.
The judge mentioned several times during the trial that his decision would not be the end of the process. He considered his courtroom a weigh station and part of the journey for the involved parties on their way to the state Supreme Court.
ACLU Kansas announced the ruling Monday.
An appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court is imminent but scheduling is not immediately known.
The Ad Astra map passed by GOP dominated state legislature has national implications in the fight for control of the US House of Representatives. The current congressional delegation is comprised of 3 Republicans and 1 Democrat. The Kansas GOP leadership has been clear of its intentions to change the makeup of the 3rd district, home of the lone Democrat Congresswoman Sharice Davids, and create a 4-0 GOP map.
The district has become increasing more favorable to Democrats over the last decade. Davids, the first LQBTQ Native American elected to Congress, has won her last two elections by margins of 10 points. She defeated four term congressman Kevin Yoder to swing the district to the Democrats in 2018. The passed Ad Astra 2 map changes CD-3 from a projected lean Democratic district to a toss up or slight GOP advantage.
Monday, Apr 25, 2022 · 4:25:20 PM +00:00
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ptgkc
As expected, the GOP response leads with a false narrative that “it is not surprising that a partisan Democrat judge sided with Laura Kelly’s East coast special interest groups to usurp lawfully enacted maps approved by a supermajority of the people’s representatives.”
Judge Bill Klapper was appointed in 2013 by Republican Governor Sam Brownback. Denying and arguing against basic knowable facts is why the GOP continues to lose lawsuits.