“The Kansas Senate was stuck Monday afternoon as a Republican effort to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) veto of the congressional redistricting map stalled amid division in their caucus and absenteeism,” the Topeka Capital-Journal reports.

“Republican senators have thus far failed to outright override Kelly’s veto, coming up three votes short of the needed two-thirds majority with two lawmakers not in attendance.”

“The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, allowed a congressional map drawn by Alabama Republicans to remain in place Monday, freezing a lower court ruling that said the map likely violates the Voting Rights Act,” CNN reports.

“The lower court had ordered a new map to be drawn, which could have led to Democrats gaining another seat in the House in the fall.”

Washington Post: “The unanimous lower court panel noted that over the past decade, the number of White Alabamians had declined while the state’s Black population grew, and now accounts for 27 percent of the state’s overall population. That means the state’s map should contain two districts with either Black majorities or ‘in which Black voters otherwise have an opportunity’ to elect representatives they favor.”

“The number of competitive congressional districts is on track to dive near — and possibly below — the lowest level in at least three decades, as Republicans and Democrats draw new political maps designed to ensure that the vast majority of House races are over before the general election starts,” the New York Times reports

“With two-thirds of the new boundaries set, mapmakers are on pace to draw fewer than 40 seats — out of 435 — that are considered competitive based on the 2020 presidential election results.”

“North Carolina’s new political district maps are unconstitutional, the N.C. Supreme Court ruled Friday,” the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

“The maps, drawn by Republican lawmakers late last year, would have given GOP candidates a sizable advantage in elections throughout the next decade. Republican leaders argued in favor of the maps in court, saying redistricting is an inherently political process and that courts shouldn’t get involved by banning partisan gerrymandering.”

“Democrats have drawn themselves aggressive maps in Illinois and New York as part of their efforts to overcome perceived Republican redistricting strengths this midterm year,” Axios reports.

“They’ve also been in position to veto some GOP maps and win court challenges to Republican districts.”

“The wins are adding up, with Democrats now set to potentially gain two to three seats through redistricting.”

Cook Political Report: “The biggest redistricting weapon of 2022 has always been the Empire State, and Democrats are poised to finally use it. On Sunday, New York Democrats unveiled a gerrymander that could expand their lead in the delegation from 19D-8R to 22D-4R — the largest single-state shift in the country.”

“Gov. Kathy Hochul has already said she supports using the redistricting process to give her party more seats.”

“Democratic state legislators in New York released a congressional redistricting map Sunday that redrew House lines to give Democrats as many as three more seats at a time when the party’s majority is in jeopardy,” the New York Times reports.

“The map made public Sunday would result in lines that would give Democrats 22 seats to four Republican ones. The New York delegation is currently 19 Democratic seats to eight seats for Republicans. The state lost a seat because of slow growth over the past 10 years.”

Sorry in advance, but this could become a real time sink: The New York Times has a new interactive game where your mission is to gerrymander your party to power.

“A panel of three federal judges threw out Alabama’s congressional map on Monday and ordered state lawmakers to draw a new one with two, rather than just one, districts that are likely to elect Black representatives,” the New York Times reports.

“The case is certain to be appealed and could lead to the U.S. Supreme Court addressing the question of whether lawmakers can draw political maps to achieve a specific racial composition, a practice known as racial gerrymandering.”

“New York’s bipartisan redistricting commission has failed to reach consensus on a new congressional map, ensuring that the state’s Democratic lawmakers will redraw district lines in a process that could affect control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections,” Reuters reports.

“The panel had until Tuesday to vote on a map to send to state legislators. Instead, Democratic and Republican commissioners exchanged accusations of political bias in dueling statements on Monday that made it clear no agreement would be forthcoming.”

“Democrats braced for disaster when state legislatures began redrawing congressional maps, fearing that Republican dominance of statehouses would tilt power away from them for the next decade,” the AP reports.

“But as the redistricting process reaches its final stages, that anxiety is beginning to ease.”

“For Democrats, the worst case scenario of losing well over a dozen seats in the U.S. House appears unlikely to happen. After some aggressive map drawing of their own in states with Democratic legislatures, some Democrats predict the typical congressional district will shift from leaning to the right of the national vote to matching it, ending a distortion that gave the GOP a built-in advantage over the past five House elections.”

“Republican majorities in the House and Senate overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) vetoes of bills that redraw the state’s House and U.S. Congressional District maps on a busy Thursday that also included impassioned speeches, lawsuits and a new wrinkle that rolls key election deadlines into the discussion over the new maps,” the Lexington Herald Leader reports.

Politico: “Republicans have mostly played it safe in the states that have completed redistricting so far, locking in the status quo with durable maps that are more likely to withstand demographic changes and legal muster. But amid a growing sense of frustration that the party is squandering its advantage, some in the GOP are advocating for a new level of ruthlessness. It’s a stance driven by a desire to appease an activist base, bolster ambitious politicians and gain retribution against audacious Democratic gerrymandering in blue strongholds.”

Nathaniel Rakich: “Many analyses of congressional redistricting so far have tried to sum the situation up into a single sentence. While we understand the urge, it’s increasingly the case that there is no one takeaway from the 2021-22 redistricting cycle.”

“In reality, the picture is complicated: Democrats have gained seats based on partisanship alone … but Republicans have gained when you factor in which party currently holds the seat. The House map’s long-term Republican bias has lessened somewhat … but it’s still not an even playing field. Swing seats are getting redrawn to be safer for Democrats … but light-red seats are also being redrawn to be safer for Republicans.”

“The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the state’s congressional district map Friday, saying Republicans violated the Ohio Constitution by drawing districts that favored GOP candidates,” the Columbus Dispatch reports.

“Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor was, once again, a key vote in the 4-3 decision to reject the map, which could have given Republicans as much as a 12-3 advantage in a state that voted for President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump, twice.”

“The South Carolina House on Wednesday adopted a controversial congressional map that could cement a 6-1 Republican majority in the U.S. House for years to come,” the Columbia State reports.

“The Ohio Supreme Court struck down GOP-drawn state House and Senate maps as unconstitutional gerrymandering in a 4-3 decision Wednesday, sending the Ohio Redistricting Commission back to the drawing board,” the Columbus Dispatch reports.

“Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor was the key vote, breaking with her party to rule against the maps.”