The New Jersey Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit from the state GOP challenging the process by which a new congressional map was chosen. The lawsuit alleged that the tie-breaking vote from retired state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace was “arbitrary,” and contested the reasoning behind the map he chose. Wallace explained that he selected the Democrats’ map because both parties had applied the proper standards to their map, and the Republicans’ map had been chosen during the prior redistricting process 10 years ago.
The court’s dismissal of the suit acknowledged that the process is not a legal one, but is intensely political, and all the rules governing the process were followed, including both political parties agreeing on Judge Wallace. It also said that the court cannot have any role in the redistricting process unless the map is “unlawful.”
