Judge rejects GOP-drawn congressional map that splits part of WyCo from JoCo

The judge ruled the recently drawn map violates provisions in the state constitution related to free speech, voting and equal protection rights to favor Republican candidates by putting parts of Wyandotte County and Lawrence in districts where Democrats have little chance to win. File photo credit Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3.

By Dylan Lysen

A Wyandotte County judge struck down the state’s new congressional map, clearing the way for the Kansas Supreme Court to weigh in on how far politicians can go in gerrymandering political boundaries.

District Court Judge Bill Klapper ruled the map — drawn by the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature — violates the rights of residents in Lawrence and Wyandotte County by watering down the influence of Black voting blocs to serve partisan ambitions.