McLean County Times

During an Oct. 26 news conference, State Rep. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) spoke out on the issue of legislative district maps.

Last June, Republican lawmakers, led by Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) and House Republican leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) filed a federal lawsuit to prevent Democratic-drawn proposed legislative maps from becoming law. The lawsuit alleges that the mapmaking process was unfair and conducted behind closed doors.

The State Journal-Register reported that a court panel of three federal judges will hear the lawsuit in early December.

"I think the most important development that's occurred in recent days is the ruling by the federal courts that the spring maps deemed fair by Gov. Pritzker were in fact unconstitutional," Barickman said at the news conference. "The courts determined very clearly that the spring maps violated the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution." 

As part of the case against the proposed district maps, the panel will also hear two other lawsuits filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the East St. Louis Branch of the NAACP and other civil rights groups.

"The ruling made it clear what many of us have been saying for months," Barickman said. "Not just Republicans, groups like ... The League of Women Voters and others who said that Democrats were engaged in a behind-the-scenes closed-door process that used inaccurate data and put the votes of Illinois voters at risk."

Attorneys for each of the plaintiffs said they don't want a complete redraw of the maps, but only want to focus on certain contested districts including the Metro East region for the NAACP, portions of Cook County for MALDEF, and both the Metro East and Chicago areas for the Republican plaintiffs.

"Here's why this matters: people want stability in politics," Barickman said. "They want choices at the ballot box. They want to see the two parties come together and solve problems by reaching across the aisle. The map to put forward by Democrats put all of those priorities of the public at risk."

The panel will be presided by U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow Jr., U.S. District Judge Jon DeGuilio, chief judge of the Northern District of Indiana, and Judge Michael B. Brennan of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Voters want choices, they want fair maps, they want representatives who are accountable to them," Barickman said. "And Gov. Pritzker and his fellow Democrats have unfortunately prioritized their partisan objectives over the interest of the people of this state."