Arizona IRC to appeal redistricting case
AP reports:
The state's redistricting commission voted unanimously Friday to appeal a court ruling that it acted unconstitutionally when it drew a statewide map of legislative districts.The Independent Redistricting Commission's appeal of a Maricopa County Superior Court judge's ruling will go initially to the Court of Appeals, but a lawyer for the commission said she hopes to immediately transfer it to the state Supreme Court.
Judge Kenneth Fields ruled that the commission violated constitutional provisions by not giving enough weight to creating competitive districts, failing to set criteria to be used in its line-drawing process and by taking incumbents' residences into account.
(Disclosure: I represented the plaintiffs in the suit against the Independent Redistricting Commission over its Congressional plan.)