Ohio Supreme Court dismisses 3 Dem-backed lawsuits over Statehouse maps
The more than two-year legal battle over the maps of Ohio Statehouse districts that were crafted in response to the 2020 Census may be over. In a 4-3 ruling late Monday, the Ohio Supreme Court cited unanimous, bipartisan passage in September of a new round of legislative maps in dismissing three long-running lawsuits brought by Democratic and voting-rights groups. After winning five straight rounds of wrangling that found the redrawn districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republicans, they had sought to raise new objections this time to other actions of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. OHIO REDISTRICTING OVERHAUL PLAN ONCE AGAIN PERMITTED TO GATHER SIGNATURES AFTER SECOND ROUND OF APPROVALS “Now that the commission has adopted a plan with bipartisan support, the facts currently before us bear no resemblance to the allegations in petitioners’ complaints,” said the unsigned majority opinion, joined by all four of the court’s Republican justices. The decision means the commission’s new maps will be in place through 2030, unless opponents file a new suit or voters pass changes to Ohio’s redistricting system that backers are working to place on the November 2024 ballot. The high court side-stepped additional constitutional questions on the maps, rejecting as moot the state’s requests that it vacate earlier rulings that found five straight rounds of Statehouse maps unconstitutional. According to the state auditor’s calculations, the new GOP-drawn maps give Republicans an advantage in 61 of 99 — or about 62% — of Ohio House districts, and in 23 of 33 — or roughly 70% — of state Senate districts. Ohio’s political breakdown has been calculated at roughly 54% Republican, 46% Democratic. “Our decision today means that these cases are not the appropriate vehicles for addressing challenges to the September 2023 plan,” the decision said, adding that justices were expressing “no view on the merits” of opponents’ objections. In a dissenting opinion written by Justice Jennifer Brunner, the court’s three Democrats argued that dismissing the cases forces groups fighting the maps to either give up without their objections being heard — or to start again with a fresh lawsuit. “It is illusory to suggest that a bipartisan vote to adopt the September 2023 plan constitutes a change in circumstances that somehow diminishes our review power or renders a unanimous redistricting plan constitutionally compliant,” she wrote. Brunner wrote that the majority ruling had relegated the court’s constitutional role “to little more than a two-bit player in furthering the delay already embedded in the history of this case.” The high court has seen a realignment since it issued its five earlier rulings against Statehouse maps, with the retirement last December of former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor due to age limits. 2024 SENATE SHOWDOWN: NEW ENDORSEMENT IN OHIO’S GOP PRIMARY BATTLE IN RACE TO FLIP BLUE SEAT O’Connor is now working on the effort to pass constitutional changes to the existing map-making system. The proposal would create a 15-member citizen panel of Republicans, Democrats and independents representing a geographic and demographic cross-section of the state, called the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission, to replace the existing Ohio Redistricting Commission. The group Citizens Not Politicians was cleared last week to begin signature-gathering. “Our members will be out in the field with their clipboards collecting signatures on the Citizens Not Politicians amendment later this week,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, which is joining the effort. “Only when Ohio bans politicians and lobbyists from rigging maps will voters have fair representation in Congress and the Ohio Statehouse.”
NYC Mayor Eric Adams says top campaign fundraiser whose home was raided no longer in role
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed Tuesday that Brianna Suggs, his top campaign fundraiser, is no longer serving in her role, according to reports. In early November, the FBI raided the 25-year-old campaign consultant’s home, and during the search agents seized three iPhones and two laptop computers, along with papers and other evidence related to a corruption investigation. The raid at Suggs’ residence was part of an inquiry into whether foreign money was funneled into Adams’ mayoral campaign, the New York Times reported last week, though it is understood that Adams is not being directly investigated. NYC MAYOR ADAMS HIRES PRIVATE ATTORNEY AMID PROBE INTO TOP FUNDRAISER Adams spoke of Suggs’ status with the campaign during his off-topic weekly press conference on Tuesday. “She is no longer doing fundraising for the campaign,” he said. Adams, whose relationship with President Biden has soured in recent months as the mayor demanded more action from the federal government in deterring the flow of more than a hundred thousand migrants to New York City from the U.S.-Mexico border, has reportedly been under investigation since at least the spring for possibly pressuring FDNY officials in the summer of 2021 to clear the opening of a sky-rise building to house the Turkish consulate in Manhattan, the New York Times first reported. ERIC ADAMS LAUGHS OFF QUESTION ABOUT FBI SEIZURES: ‘WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HELICOPTERS’ As federal law enforcement and prosecutors have yet to publicly disclose the nature of the FBI’s probe, Adams’ administration responded to the Times’ report by condemning any FBI employee who possibly “improperly leaked details about this investigation as such conduct could prejudice the public and undermines the integrity of our law enforcement process.” The mayor is also under investigation for sexual assault allegations made in a legal filing by a woman who claims to be a former colleague of his. Adams denies knowing the plaintiff, who is seeking at least $5 million in damages, according to a report from The Messenger. Danielle Wallace and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Texas judge Lina Hidalgo slapped with criminal abuse of office complaint day after visit with VP Kamala Harris
More legal issues continue to plague Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo as a criminal complaint has been filed and referred to the Texas Rangers for investigation just a day after meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris. The complaint stems from a press conference Hidalgo held earlier this month on November 10, the day after news broke that the Texas Rangers would be executing search warrants in relation to an $11 million COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract the county awarded to a highly connected Democratic strategist in 2021. Hidalgo’s comments were made on county property and livestreamed on the Office of the County Judge’s official social media accounts. During the event, Hidalgo accused District Attorney Kim Ogg of leaking the new warrants to the media, although they had already been posted to the district clerk’s website and were available to the public. LEADER OF TEXAS’ LARGEST COUNTY TAKES TEMPORARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO SEEK DEPRESSION TREATMENT Under Texas Election Code, using an elected office to engage in political advertising is a Class A misdemeanor, and under the Penal Code, misuse of government property, services, or personnel constitutes an Abuse of Official Capacity, which could be classified as a misdemeanor or state jail felony depending on the value of the thing misused. Three of Hidalgo’s former staffers were indicted on felony charges in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract last year, but the county judge is now under review for her alleged participation in the bid-rigging scheme that sidelined the University of Texas Health Science Center in favor of Elevate Strategies. AUTO THEFTS CONTINUE TO RISE IN AUSTIN, MORE THAN 3 YEARS AFTER CITY DEFUNDED POLICE DEPARTMENT Following the press conference, which was removed from the county’s social media pages, attorney Mark McCaig filed a civil complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission and a criminal complaint with Harris County Constable Precinct 4. In late July, Hidalgo took a leave of absence while hospitalized for depression, but she returned to office in early October. US SUSPENDS, REDUCES VEHICLE PROCESSING ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER AT SELECT TEXAS AND ARIZONA PORTS OF ENTRY On Monday, Hidalgo welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris to Houston for an event sponsored by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Hildalgo made a post on X Monday, sharing her thanks to Harris and President Biden for the support of the Latino community. PROGRESSIVE TEXAS JUDGE SUGGESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS COULD RECEIVE UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME “Excited to join forces with VP Harris in Harris County discussing the Biden-Harris administration’s support of the Latino community. The $1 billion received in ARP investments serves all our communities in entrepreneurship, childhood education, healthcare access and more,” Hidalgo said. The County Judge’s office has not immediately been available for comment on the new investigation.
Ramaswamy swipes ‘GOP establishment’ in Iowa for supporting CO2 pipelines as part of climate ‘hoax’
FIRST ON FOX – Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is taking the “GOP establishment” in Iowa to task, specifically calling out Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds over support of the CO2 pipeline he argues negatively impacts farmers in the Hawkeye State. In an announcement obtained by Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy teased a policy speech he’s set to give Friday in Des Moines regarding CO2 pipelines being implemented he says as part of the “climate change agenda,” knocking Republicans who are onboard with it. “The GOP establishment does NOT approve of this message & it’s pathetic I’m the only candidate with the stones to say it,” Ramaswamy’s statement began. “The climate change agenda is a hoax & it’s hurting farmers in Iowa. Here’s how: the U.S. government enacted crony subsidies to reward those who build CO2 pipelines across the Midwest to bury CO2 in the ground in North Dakota (which is senseless for many reasons, including the fact that crops require CO2).” RAMASWAMY LAUNCHES $1 MILLION AD BUY IN EARLY PRIMARY STATES BLASTING POLITICIANS ‘LEADING US INTO WORLD WAR III’ “Here’s the bigger problem: most farmers don’t want the CO2 pipeline on their land. There are real hazards & many farmers don’t want to sell their land either. But the GOP Establishment in Iowa has enacted eminent domain to *seize* these farmers’ land which is a gross violation of their property rights,” Ramaswamy wrote. He continued, “Every political consultant tells you to stay away from the CO2 pipeline issue, because it makes the likes of @GovKimReynolds look horrible for supporting it. Well, I refuse to be controlled. We’ll go deep on this on Friday at 12pm in Des Moines, with the Free Soil Coalition.” RAMASWAMY CLASHES WITH CNN ANCHOR PRESSING HIM ON TRUMP’S ‘VERMIN’ COMMENTS: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK!’ The biotech entrepreneur went on to predict that “soon you will see the other presidential candidates who have tiptoed around this issue reluctantly adopt my stance including even the one whom @GovKimReynolds endorsed.” “You can bookmark that prediction & take it to the bank,” Ramaswamy added. The candidate Reynolds endorsed is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Gov. Reynolds’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. RAMASWAMY UNVEILS ‘NO TO NEOCONS’ PLEDGE HIS APPOINTEES WILL HAVE TO SIGN IF ELECTED Ramaswamy is hoping to defy expectations in the first primary contest in the nation. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls in Iowa, Ramaswamy is trailing at 5% behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 14.3%, DeSantis at 17.3% and former President Trump, who maintains a commanding lead at 47% among Iowan primary voters. In the most recent Fox News national poll earlier this month, Ramaswamy received 7%, Haley got 11%, DeSantis got 14% while Trump held a whopping 62% support among Republicans. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Tennessee Gov. Lee pushes for school voucher expansion, removal of income cap
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday backed a plan to expand beyond a three-county school voucher program for low-income kids by offering public money for private schooling statewide, regardless of family income. State lawmakers narrowly approved the so-called education savings accounts initiative for the three counties in 2019. It awards eligible families around $8,100 in public tax dollars to help cover private school tuition and other preapproved expenses. The newest initiative will also need the approval of the state Legislature, where Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers. In 2019, lawmakers agreed in a tight vote to enact the original program after receiving assurances that it would only apply to Davidson and Shelby counties, both Democratic strongholds in Tennessee. Nashville, Memphis and civil rights leaders sued to stop the program, which was tied up in the courts and only implemented starting in the summer of 2022 after the Tennessee Supreme Court cleared a key legal obstacle. PA GOV. SHAPIRO PUSHES FOR SCHOOL VOUCHERS, MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE AND GUN VIOLENCE LEGISLATION The new program Lee is proposing would make 20,000 education scholarships available next year, with half going to students who are lower income, disabled or otherwise able to participate in the current program. The remaining 10,000 would be available to any student entitled to attend a public school. “Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarships will empower parents with the freedom to choose the right education for their child, while also giving them a say in how their taxpayer dollars are invested,” the governor said in a news release. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, Lee is proposing universal eligibility for any student entitled to attend a public school. If applications exceed available scholarship money, priority will go to lower income, public-school and returning scholarship students. Democrats, professional teacher groups and other opponents of the plan argued that expanding the program would further undercut public schools in Tennessee. “Taking taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition statewide would divert much-needed resources from our already underfunded public schools and threaten the strength of our Tennessee communities. Fewer students and less funding will put beloved neighborhood schools at risk for closure,” Tennessee Education Association President Tanya Coats said in a news release. Vouchers have been a key part of Lee’s agenda. During his first State of the State address in 2019, Lee claimed that the educational savings accounts would strengthen public schools by creating competition and therefore providing them an incentive to improve. School choice also was touted as a top issue when Lee was on the campaign trail. Once in office, Lee appointed pro-voucher members to top adviser positions. Tennessee had an education savings account program previously, but it was only available for children with certain disabilities. Under the current law, participating families must provide federal income tax returns showing they do not exceed twice the federal income eligibility for free school lunch, or provide proof they can qualify for federal assistance. STATE BUDGETS ANTICIPATE RISE IN DEMAND FOR SCHOOL VOUCHERS AS MORE FAMILIES QUALIFY Tennessee consistently ranks low on per-student spending for public schools. A report from the National Education Association ranked Tennessee as 38th among the 50 states for the 2020-2021 school year. That was before a $1 billion investment last year, but state spending is still on the low end. Students first participated in the voucher program last school year. Because it was held up in the courts, the state had little time to recruit students and schools for the program and only around 400 students were approved. Since then, lawmakers have added Hamilton County, home to Chattanooga, as a third county where the vouchers can be used. The number of students approved for the vouchers increased to 2,172 this year, Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds told the governor at a recent budget hearing. There is little public data on how the first group of students has performed academically. However, voucher students at the Collegiate School of Memphis showed “significant evidence that students made less growth than expected” — the lowest measure, showing negative growth — when comparing their performance on the standardized TCAP test in math and English to previous years.
Former NH lawmaker facing felony, misdemeanor charges linked to out-of-district move
A former New Hampshire lawmaker who kept his seat for a year after moving out of his district was charged Tuesday with multiple crimes related to his change of address. Troy Merner, a Republican, won a fourth term representing Lancaster in the House in 2022, around the same time he moved to Carroll. He resigned in September after the attorney general’s office investigated a complaint that he had continued to vote in Lancaster after his move. On Tuesday, Merner was charged with wrongful voting, a class B felony punishable by up to seven years in prison and a permanent loss of voting privileges. He also was charged with three misdemeanors: theft by deception, unsworn falsification and tampering with public records. Those charges allege he received excessive mileage reimbursement by claiming he lived in Lancaster. FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE SENATOR ACCUSED OF USING COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS TO BUY LUXURY CARS New Hampshire law requires lawmakers to live in the district they represent. Lawmakers are paid only $100 a year but are reimbursed for their travel to and from Concord. A phone number listed for Merner was out of service and court documents do not list an attorney representing him. He is due in court Dec. 28. In September, Merner told the Caledonian-Record he moved to Carroll in November 2022, though the attorney general’s office concluded his residency in Lancaster ended with the sale of his house that August. Until that determination, Merner said he had planned to serve out the remainder of his terms as both a state representative and member of the Lancaster Select Board. He said the arrangement made him uneasy but he had wanted to finish is work on behalf of his constituents. “I represent the people, I don’t represent myself,” he said.
Veterans Affairs lawyer faces call to resign after mocking Israelis
A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs attorney is under investigation after posting a video to social media, mocking Israelis as they plead for the return of their hostages taken by Hamas-led terrorists. Shekeba Morrad, an appellate attorney for the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of Veterans Affairs, posted a video in which she takes a sarcastic tone and says, “We just want our hostages back. Give us our 200 hostages.” Morrad has since taken the video down, but it was picked up and shared on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, by The Canary Mission, which according to its profile “exposes hatred and antisemitism on college campuses and beyond.” CALIFORNIA GOP REP. DAVID VALADAO’S OFFICE VANDALIZED BY ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTORS Fox News Digital reached out to Morrad for an explanation about the video and did not immediately hear back from her. The Department of Veterans Affairs released a statement about the matter on Tuesday. “We are aware of this incident, are investigating the matter, and will take any appropriate action,” a spokesperson said. “There is no place at VA for anti-Semitism or any expression of bigotry or hatred.” MISS UNIVERSE JUDGE HIT WITH DEATH THREATS AFTER DEBATE AGAINST PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST: ‘YOU WILL BE KILLED’ The spokesperson also confirmed Morrad is an employee of the VA. ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED After making the rounds, the video sparked outrage by many, including Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “This is unacceptable,” Tillis said on X. “Antisemitism has no place at the VA and this behavior should not be tolerated. @SecVetAffairs should remove this employee immediately.”
Former Indiana lawmaker pleads guilty to casino corruption charge
INDIANPOLIS (AP) — A former Indiana lawmaker pleaded guilty Tuesday to supporting a bill favoring a casino in exchange for promises of lucrative employment. Sean Eberhart, 57, was charged with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. He had agreed to plead guilty earlier this month. The offense is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. FORMER INDIANA LAWMAKER TO PLEAD GUILTY IN CASINO CORRUPTION SCANDAL Judge Matthew P. Brookman of the Southern District Court of Indiana said sentencing will follow at an unspecified date. He said prosecutors and Eberhart’s attorneys have not agreed on a recommended sentence but did settle on $60,000 in restitution — Eberhart’s salary as an elected official. Brookman said a $100 fee will be due at the time of sentencing. Eberhart answered the judge’s questions throughout the hearing with “yes” or “no” answers. He declined to take questions from members of the news media as he left the courthouse. The former Republican state representative represented central Indiana’s House District 57 for 16 years before leaving office in November 2022. In late 2018, a company called Spectacle Entertainment sought to purchase two casinos located on Lake Michigan in Gary, Indiana, and relocate them to Gary and Vigo County in western Indiana, according to court documents. The Legislature, whose House Committee on Public Policy oversees casinos and gaming in Indiana, passed a bill approving the move in 2019. According to prosecutors, Eberhart, a member of the committee, used his position both to successfully advocate for the relocation and to obtain other favorable terms for the company, including tax incentives. In exchange, they said, Eberhart accepted the promise of future employment at Spectacle, which included annual compensation of at least $350,000. Eberhart sent text messages regarding his efforts to secure legislation in favor of the company, according to prosecutors, who said he promised to “make it right for” the founder of Spectacle, identified only in court documents as “Individual A.” Other evidence obtained by investigators included digital images of documents, “covert recordings of conversations with Eberhart,” and “records of statements and actions in the Indiana legislature,” according to court documents. The embattled casino company has been the subject of several federal investigations in recent years. In 2022, longtime casino executive John Keeler was sentenced, along with former Indiana state Sen. Brent Waltz, for their role in a scheme to illegally funnel gambling money into the lawmaker’s unsuccessful 2016 bid for congress. Keeler, who was a Republican legislator for 16 years in the 1980s and 1990s, was sentenced to two months in federal prison and fined $55,000. The Indiana Gaming Commission forced Spectacle officials to give up their ownership stakes in Gary and Terre Haute casino projects following Keeler and Waltz’s indictments in 2020. Waltz, a Republican from Greenwood, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for helping route about $40,000 in illegal contributions to his campaign and making false statements to the FBI.
Texas Supreme Court considers abortion challenge
In August, a judge ruled that the state’s near-total abortion ban should not apply to medically complicated pregnancies. The state appealed that ruling to the Texas Supreme Court, putting it on hold.
Greg Abbott begins offensive against school voucher opponents, endorsing first House primary challenger
Abbott on Tuesday backed Hillary Hickland, an activist mother who is running against Rep. Hugh Shine, R-Temple.