Monday, June 18, 2012
10:10 AM
DOJ drops appeal of court-ordered redistricting plan, pays opponents' legal fees
The state Department of Justice has agreed to drop its appeal of a court-ordered redistricting plan for two state Assembly districts and has agreed to pay more than $185,000 in legal bills for the plaintiffs in the case.
* See today's agreement
The lawsuit was brought by Democrats and others who charged that the maps drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature violated the federal Voting Rights Act.
In March, a three-judge panel issued an opinion saying the Republican plan violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the vote of the Latino community. The panel ordered that the two Assembly districts affecting that community be redrawn.
After the Legislature refused to do the job, the court accepted a map drawn by the Democrats and a plaintiff, Voces de la Frontera, an immigration advocacy group. The court rejected two proposals submitted by the Department of Justice.
In April, the state DOJ appealed the panel’s ruling that GOP lawmakers violated the Civil Rights Act and appealed the decision on how to address concerns over the makeup of the 8th and 9th Assembly districts.
As part of today's settlement the DOJ agreed to withdraw that appeal, which had been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court.
-- By Marie Rohde
For WisPolitics.com
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