Alaska Supreme Court Finds Republican Gerrymander in Anchorage Districts, Orders New Map

The Alaska Supreme Court on Tuesday confirmed that Alaska’s redistricting board gerrymandered the boundaries of state Senate districts in Anchorage in order to favor Republican-leaning Eagle River. APM reports.

The courts’ decision means the redistricting board must adopt a different plan for this year’s legislative elections, ordered by the Superior Court judge. The board could continue work and possibly write a different map for the elections from 2024 onward.

“I think this is a spectacular response from the Supreme Court,” said Jennifer Wingard, a Girdwood resident and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that prompted Tuesday’s ruling.

Tuesday’s court order is almost certainly the final word in redistricting before this year’s legislative elections. The filing deadline for candidates is June 1, and the Supreme Court is the option of last resort for legal appeals.

Significantly, its decision appears to confirm that Republican-appointed redistricting board members colluded to draw maps favorable to Republican candidates.