A three-judge panel dismissed a claim Friday by Michigan Republicans who alleged that the new congressional district map drawn by the state’s redistricting commission arbitrarily divided counties and municipalities.
The Republicans who sued the commissioners argued that counties and municipalities constitute “communities of interest” — such as “populations that share cultural or historical characteristics or economic interests” — that the Michigan Constitution requires the commission to reflect in the new district lines.
They asserted that the new map would dilute the voting strength of those divided into separate voting districts.
The unanimous six-page opinion written by U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Judge Raymond Kethledge called the claim “a blood relative” of claims of partisan gerrymandering courts are not capable of deciding under prior U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
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Voters Not Politicians, the group that drafted the constitutional amendment laying out Michigan’s redistricting criteria and intervened in the lawsuit, similarly argued that those challenging the congressional map were attempting to redefine communities of interest.
The three-judge panel agreed.
This article was originally published by the Detroit Free Press. Continue reading here: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2022/03/04/redistricting-commission-federal-lawsuit-one-count-dismissed/9346956002/
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