Kankakee Times

Illinois State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) said he was invigorated by a federal court panel's ruling that called the state's redistricting maps "unconstitutional" since they were drawn before official data from the U.S. Census Bureau had been released. 

Barickman reacted to the court's decision by issuing a statement on his website.

"Governor J.B. Pritzker betrayed the people of Illinois when he broke his campaign promise and attempted to legitimize his party's blatant grab for power," Barickman said in the statement on Oct.19. "Pritzker's actions harmed countless Illinoisans, with the Court acknowledging that states 'do no receive a blank check to dilute votes.'"

Barickman said the court's ruling put a spotlight on the fact the maps violated the U.S. Constitution. 

"It is encouraging that the court came to the same conclusion that so many Illinoisans and good government groups did, that this map, based on seriously inaccurate data and partisan intentions, was unconstitutional," he said in the statement. 

Barickman has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the maps that were signed into law. The Kankakee Times reported he called them "a pile of trash" earlier this month.

"It's the same old, same old — politicians drawing maps," Barickman said at the time. "The majority party is prioritizing their partisan gain at the expense of voters."

Back in June, Barickman asked Pritzker to veto the maps and claimed Democrats' goal was to keep their power by making the map lines work in their favor, according to a previous report by the Kankakee Times. 

According to the article, Barickman brought up Pritzker's campaign promise to veto maps drawn by politicians. 

Later that same month, Barickman called out Pritzker for breaking that promise when he signed the maps into law. The McClean County Times reported Barickman took to Facebook to express his dissatisfaction and wrote he "turned his back" on the people of Illinois.