Ohio legislative map suit to brush close to state primary

COLUMBUS (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has set Feb. 3 as the final date for filings in a Democratic lawsuit challenging the new map of state House and Senate districts.

That’s just over a month before the state’s March 6 primary. It’s unclear whether the state’s highest court will want to hear oral arguments in the case or when it might rule on the question of whether the boundary lines are constitutional.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of voters. Democrats in the House and Senate claim that Republicans who led the map-drawing process split up communities in violation of the Ohio Constitution.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Republicans say the maps are on solid legal ground. They charge that Democrats are trying to muddy up the 2012 elections.