![Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose interacts with staff members as they follow the Nov. 3, 2020, general election from Ohio's election command center in Columbus, Ohio. [Jay LaPrete / AP]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5c8a04e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x551+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2021%2F11%2FFrank-LaRose-AP21226600999918.jpg)
Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R-Ohio) is weighing-in on the legal challenge to the state's new Congressional district map, with the deadline looming to file for next year's primary.
"Time is of the essence," was in the first line of a brief filed by Attorney General Dave Yost (R-Ohio) on behalf of LaRose in the Ohio Supreme Court.
LaRose says the court schedule proposed by plaintiffs in the case against Ohio's new Congressional district map does not give enough time for candidates to file their petition or for boards of elections to prepare ballots.
The plaintiffs suggested a court schedule that ends with oral arguments on Feb. 8, 2022. LaRose would rather have the last step before oral arguments happen by Dec. 23, 2021.
The same bill that created the new map, SB 258, also moved the filing deadline for U.S. House of Representative candidates to Mar. 4, 2022. The filing deadline was originally Feb. 2, 2022, 90 days prior to the May 3, 2022, primary. However, the bill goes into effect Feb. 19, 2022.
A national Democratic group argues the Congressional map is unconstitutional. It creates 12 out of 15 districts that heavily favor or lean in favor of Republicans and only two districts strongly favoring Democratic candidates.
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