Maryland lawmakers will return to Annapolis in a month as part of a special session related to midcycle congressional redistricting.
The legislature is set to return Aug. 3-5 to consider legislation that would clarify how congressional districts can be drawn — a reaction to a 2022 court decision that resulted in the current maps in which the Democratic Party holds seven of the state’s eight districts. The special session was announced by Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk Tuesday in a joint statement.
The announcement represents a reversal — in part — for Ferguson. The Senate leader had previously opposed midcycle congressional redistricting. He bottled up a bill passed in February by the House.
But in May, he said a Supreme Court ruling on the landmark Voting Rights Act and elections in Indiana in which President Donald Trump successfully turned out Republican state senators who blocked redistricting there, warranted a new look at the issue in Maryland, and the potential for a special session.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Bryan Sears, Maryland Matters over at WTOP
