Judge blocks Maryland Democrats’ redistricting plans, setting up state Supreme Court appeal

Maryland Democrats’ redistricting plans may be in trouble after a judge blocked a proposed constitutional amendment from appearing on the November ballot. 

But Maryland Circuit Court Judge Robert Thompson also paused his order blocking the amendment pending a likely appeal, and ultimately, a ruling from the Maryland Supreme Court.

Earlier this month, the Democratic majority in the Maryland General Assembly passed a constitutional amendment during a special session to change the rules for congressional redistricting. But the measure can’t take effect until voters weigh in on the change.

The amendment does not directly redraw Maryland’s congressional districts. Rather, it establishes that the state constitution’s requirements for compact districts that respect natural and political boundaries apply to state legislative maps, not congressional maps.

“It does not change a single line on a map. And it does not affect the upcoming 2026 election,” House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D) previously said about the redistricting measure. “It simply clarifies Maryland law and gives voters the opportunity to decide whether our constitution should provide the same legal framework available to other states as they confront the realities of congressional redistricting.”

But a right-wing advocacy group immediately sued on behalf of the far-right Maryland Freedom Caucus to block the plan, arguing that lawmakers passed the proposed amendment after a July 1 deadline for certifying ballot questions for November. 

Another, separate lawsuit to block the redistricting plan, filed in Maryland’s Eastern Shore, has a hearing Thursday morning. 

Maryland Republicans called the redistricting amendment a power grab. 

“Annapolis Democrats spent taxpayer dollars on a Special Session for one reason: to rewrite the Maryland Constitution and eliminate the last remaining Republican congressional seat,” Del. Matt Morgan (R), Chairman of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, said in a statement. “Like a banana republic, they suspended the rules, ignored statutory deadlines, and treated the Constitution as an obstacle to be removed. Our Declaration of Rights exists to protect the people from politicians who undermine free and fair elections.”

But Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) emphasized that Maryland’s redistricting efforts were to counter the wave of gerrymanders that President Donald Trump launched last year in a bid to give Republicans a boost in the 2026 midterms. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court turbocharged that campaign with its ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which gutted minority protections in the Voting Rights Act and spurred a string of GOP gerrymanders in southern states.

“None of us want to be back here for a special session,” Moore said earlier this month. “And I want to be clear that the reason we are here is because Donald Trump has forced us back.”