How Much Does Gerrymandering Really Matter?

For Congress, not that much, since both parties do it.
On Thursday morning, a 5–4 Supreme Court decision closed the door on having federal courts police partisan gerrymandering. The Court’s decision left standing a Democratic gerrymander in Maryland’s House districts and a Republican gerrymander in North Carolina’s, both of which were openly partisan. The Court’s decisions are, predictably, reviving the ongoing debate over the centuries-old practice of gerrymandering: state legislatures drawing congressional and state legislative districts to favor their own political party. Partisan gerrymandering is political self-interest in its purest form, and it’s a game played by both parties whenever they can. But for all its mischief, how much does it really affect control of Congress?