Supreme Court: ‘Gerrymandering’ pronounced with hard ‘G’

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. – A Massachusetts town says it has a letter from the U.S. Supreme Court backing them in their cause that the word gerrymander is pronounced with a hard ‘g.’

The Marblehead Board of Selectmen says they wrote a letter in June to Chief Justice John Roberts asking the court to use Marblehead’s preferred pronunciation for gerrymander (GEHR’-ee-MAN’-dur).

The Boston Globe reports the town received a response July 9 from the counsellor to the chief justice saying Roberts agreed with them. The word comes from a cartoon critiquing President James Madison’s vice-president, Elbridge Gerry (GEHR’-ee).

The letter was sent at the request of Carolyn Stanton, who previously asked her grandson — comedian John Mulaney — to bring up the issue during a late night talk TV show appearance, which he did.