A federal court in Baltimore threw out Maryland’s congressional district map on Wednesday as unconstitutional. The three-judge panel gave state lawmakers until March to submit new districts.
If the state misses the March deadline, or if the court rejects the new map, the court will appoint a commission to draw new districts.
The ruling focuses on the sixth district in Western Maryland, which was redrawn in 2011 to include part of Democrat-heavy Montgomery County. Republican Congressman Roscoe Bartlett then lost his seat of 20 years in the 2012 election to Democrat John Delaney.
Attorney General Brian Frosh’s office said he is reviewing the decision and whether to appeal it.
In a statement, Gov. Larry Hogan called the ruling “a victory for the vast majority of Marylanders.”
He criticized the existing map at a press conference earlier Wednesday, before the court’s ruling, calling it, “the worst gerrymandering in the nation.”