NJ Dems Call on GOP to Stop Undermining Redistricting Process

TRENTON, NJ — The New Jersey Democratic State Committee is calling on the state’s Republicans to cease their campaign to undermine the Congressional Redistricting process by seeking to impugn the integrity of former Supreme Court Justice and Redistricting Chair John Wallace. NJDSC Spokesman Phil Swibinski today released the following statement:

“It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that Republicans are trying to undermine and discredit the work of the Congressional Redistricting Commission by leveling personal character attacks at Chair John Wallace, whose integrity and public service in our courts is absolutely unquestionable. New Jersey Republicans are always eager to follow the Trump Playbook: when they lose, they attack the process with baseless conspiracy theories and attacks on our fundamental institutions of democracy. It’s telling that the Republicans waited until after their map was not chosen to raise any alleged procedural concerns. Justice Wallace was selected as an independent member by the Supreme Court last August and the Republicans agreed upon and participated — without objection — in the Redistricting Commission’s work without criticizing the process or any Commission member. Now that they lost, they have resorted to personal attacks on one of the state’s most respected jurists with baseless claims and false statements to support their conspiratorial ideas.”

“The truth is that New Jersey’s bi-partisan redistricting process delivered a fair map that meets all constitutional and legal standards. Justice Wallace served his role as the Commission’s tiebreaking member with distinction and he and his team worked hard to ensure that the new congressional map enhances minority representation and accurately reflects the partisan and demographic composition of our state. Rather than considering the totality of Justice Wallace’s remarks, Republicans are instead harping on a single sentence that does not fully represent the work done to arrive at this map and in the process being dishonest with the courts and with New Jerseyans.”

“On the anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection that was directly caused by Republicans embracing Trump’s lies about the 2020 election, it is especially embarrassing that the Republicans picked today to attack this constitutional process. It’s time for the New Jersey GOP to stop undermining democracy by stoking conspiracy theories about our governmental institutions and personal attacks on those who serve.”

“All residents of New Jersey should be proud of the fair and representative map presented by the Democrats and adopted by the Redistricting Commission. The NJ GOP’s attempt to attack the process that they agreed to after a loss just shows how desperate their party is to appeal to its radical base. We are hopeful that more reasonable views in the Republican Party will prevail, as personal attacks on the Commissioners are not going to change the fair and representative Congressional Districts for New Jersey that have been chosen for the next decade.”