The Associated Press
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld district lines in the Ohio House of Representatives, ending Democrats' seven-year attempt to have them thrown out as racially unfair.
The court, by an 8-1 vote, affirmed a ruling that said the districts were constitutionally drawn even though race was one factor.
No written opinion accompanied the decision. Justice Antonin Scalia alone voted to hear arguments in the case.
The Republican-controlled state Apportionment Board drew the districts after the 1990 Census, when Democrats still had a majority in the 99-member House.
Robert Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said he was pleased with the ruling but disappointed that the dispute dragged on for seven years. He said the case already has cost Ohio taxpayers $2.2 million and could wind up costing $4 million.
"Any apportionment plan is subject to being attacked in the courts," Mr. Bennett said. "However, I think this went way beyond reason."
The case involves eight districts in inner-city areas of Akron, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton and Columbus. All the seats are held by Democrats.
Democratic officials and legislators sued in federal court in 1991, saying Republicans concentrated black voters to dilute their power in neighboring suburbs.
