Lawsuit Challenges Partisan Gerrymandering In Michigan

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From the Associated Press — Opponents of partisan gerrymandering have filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Michigan, alleging that Republican-drawn congressional and legislative districts unfairly hurt Democratic voters. The suit was filed in Detroit Friday by the Michigan League of Women Voters and 11 Democrats. They say the GOP-led Legislature in 2011 intentionally tilted the maps “heavily against” Democrats and in favor of Republicans. The suit comes amid an increased focus on redistricting ahead of the 2020 Census. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the fall on there can be too much politics in the task of drawing electoral districts. And in Michigan, a group this week filed more than 425,000 signatures for a proposed 2018 ballot initiative to empower an independent commission to draw lines instead of the legislature.