Opinion: Republicans preserve veto-proof majority with new maps, to no one's surprise

After 503 days of doing absolutely nothing, the Republican majority on the Ohio Redistricting Commission met in Columbus Wednesday and did what most people involved knew they would do.

They rolled out new district maps for the Ohio House and Senate which, to the surprise of exactly no one, will achieve the objective they have had all along — preserving the GOP's supermajority grip on the Ohio General Assembly, at least through the 2024 election.

Something they could have done 14 months ago.

But, back then, they couldn't. They still had an Ohio Supreme Court in the spring of 2022 that slapped down five — count 'em, five — sets of maps, saying they violated the state's constitution.

This time around, though, Maureen O'Connor, the former Republican chief justice, isn't around to foil their plan by voting with the three Democrats on the seven-member Ohio Supreme Court.

This time, they will have a friendly court to deal with.