Congressional redistricting lawsuit in Miami federal court Friday

Sep 9, 2011

The following article was published in the Orlando Sentinel on September 9, 2011:

Redistricting lawsuit in Miami federal court Friday

By The Associated Press

A federal judge in Miami is hearing arguments in a lawsuit challenging a Florida constitutional amendment imposing new rules on how congressional districts are drawn.

The hearing Friday comes in a lawsuit filed by two members of Congress and the Florida House of Representatives. They contend that only the Legislature can change the rules in drawing Florida’s districts for Congress.

On the other side is the state of Florida, the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union and others. They argue that it’s perfectly legal for a redistricting amendment to be proposed and approved without involvement of state lawmakers.

U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro must decide who’s right.


Amendment 6 was approved in the November 2010 election. Its intent is to require compact districts that don’t favor political parties or incumbents.