A Historic First. A Decade Shaped.
The Case Files - John's Case Study #2
New Jersey Legislative Redistricting
THE CHALLENGE
The commission had never done it before. Not once.
New Jersey’s Legislative Apportionment Commission was designed around an even partisan divide: five Republicans and five Democrats charged with drawing the state’s 40 legislative districts for the next decade. Historically, the two sides had been unable to agree, leaving a court-appointed eleventh member to choose between competing maps.
As the 2021–2022 redistricting cycle began, another partisan standoff seemed likely. The stakes were enormous: 40 districts, 120 legislative seats, and the political geography of New Jersey for the next ten years.
THE PLAN
The map drawer is more than a technician, he helps shape what is possible.
John Morgan served as the Republican delegation’s map drawer, helping translate political priorities, constitutional requirements, community interests, and competitive realities into workable district lines.
The process required more than drawing a single map. Information was gathered from elected officials, party leaders, community organizations, local stakeholders, and others throughout the state. Hundreds of possibilities were considered as the Republican team worked to protect its existing position, create opportunities for growth, and develop a map that could survive both negotiation and constitutional scrutiny.
As the commission entered several days of intense negotiations, John’s technical experience and understanding of the larger mission helped the Republican delegation evaluate its options, respond to proposed compromises, and move toward a final agreement.
THE OUTCOME
They did not need the tiebreaker. They made history instead.
On February 18, 2022, the New Jersey Legislative Apportionment Commission approved the new legislative map by a bipartisan 9–2 vote. It was the first time in the commission’s history that a legislative map had been approved through bipartisan consensus rather than having the court-appointed tiebreaker choose between competing party plans.
In his public account of the process, Republican Co-Chair Al Barlas named John Morgan among the small group whose tireless work was instrumental to the final product, writing that the outcome could not have happened without them.
John Morgan does not need to be standing at the microphone when the agreement is announced. He needs to be in the room while the strategy is translated into the map. That is where the next decade takes shape.
John Morgan isn’t the face of the win. But he is the reason behind it. When strategy matters most, he’s the one you call; quietly, precisely, and at just the right time.
