Florida lawmakers sent back to drawing board over gerrymandered districts

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/09/florida-redraw-congressional-districts-gerrymandering

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The Florida supreme court on Thursday chastised the Republican-led state legislature for working behind the scenes to draw congressional maps that do not meet the requirements of a voter-approved constitutional amendment that prohibits political lines from being drawn to favour incumbents or a political party.

The court ordered the legislature to draw the maps again.

The ruling could prompt an upheaval as incumbents seek re-election and candidates from both parties seek to fill open seats. Florida has 27 congressional districts. The court ordered eight be redrawn, along with any districts they border.

“The legislature itself proclaimed that it would conduct the most open and transparent redistricting process in the history of the state, and then made important decisions, affecting numerous districts in the enacted map, outside the purview of public scrutiny,” the court’s ruling said.

A coalition that included the League of Women Voters challenged the lines, saying Republicans who drew them up ignored the new constitutional requirements approved by voters in 2010. A lower court agreed that GOP leaders and operatives made a mockery of the amendment, but only ordered two central Florida districts be redrawn.

The supreme court said that was not good enough.

Republicans have maintained that the maps adhere to constitutional requirements despite evidence that political operatives helped draw them.

It is yet to be seen how the ruling will affect the majority of Florida’s members of Congress who are seeking re-election, as well as their challengers.