Maryland Judge Blocks Democratic-Backed Congressional Redistricting Ballot Measure

A Maryland judge on Wednesday blocked a Democratic-backed effort that would have asked voters to approve a constitutional amendment concerning the redrawing of the state’s congressional districts.

Judge Robert Thompson ruled against House Bill 2100, legislation signed into law by Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Aug. 5. Thompson concluded that portions of the proposed ballot question were “intentionally misleading,” making the measure ineligible to appear on the ballot as currently written.

“The court has no choice but to enjoin the board of elections from including ballot Question 3 on the general election ballot for November 3, 2026,” Thompson wrote in his ruling.

H.B. 2100 would have asked Maryland voters to consider a constitutional amendment that purported to clarify standards surrounding congressional redistricting. Under the measure, consideration would be “given to natural boundaries and the boundaries of political subdivisions” when drawing each congressional legislative district.

The proposal passed the Maryland legislature with a supermajority but faced sharp opposition from Republican lawmakers. GOP critics argued that the legislation represented an attempt to maneuver around a 2022 court ruling that struck down an earlier Democratic redistricting plan.
The Maryland Freedom Caucus, a conservative organization that filed one of two lawsuits challenging the measure, celebrated Thompson’s decision Wednesday on social media.

“Today the court made clear that three-fifths of the vote doesn’t buy you an exemption from the rules you wrote yourself,” Republican state Del. Matt Morgan said. “Maryland doesn’t answer to kings, and it doesn’t answer to a legislature that thinks it’s one.”

The Maryland proposal comes amid a broader national battle over congressional maps as the midterm elections approach. With control of Congress at stake, redistricting efforts have taken on greater importance even though maps are traditionally redrawn only once every decade following the census.

Democrats need to capture fewer than five seats this fall to overturn the GOP’s narrow hold on the upper chamber, further raising the political stakes surrounding efforts to change district boundaries.

Democrats already dominate Maryland’s congressional delegation, controlling seven of the state’s eight seats. The proposed constitutional amendment would have placed another redistricting question directly before residents during the November general election.

For now, Thompson’s injunction prevents the state board of elections from placing Question 3 on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. However, the legal fight is not necessarily over.

The judge noted that his injunction remains in effect pending the state’s immediate appeal to the Supreme Court of Maryland. That appeal will determine whether the proposed amendment can move forward despite Thompson’s finding that the ballot language was misleading.

The ruling marks another setback for Democratic efforts to redraw Maryland’s congressional map as both parties fight for an advantage ahead of the midterms.