A divided appeals court ruled Wednesday that Florida legislators should not be questioned under oath about whether they “intended” to gain partisan advantage when they re-drew congressional maps last year. Two sets of groups have challenged the lines for Florida’s 27 U.S. House seats, including some voting-rights groups such as the Florida League of Women Voters, the National Council of La Raza, Common Cause and others. The legal fight is one front of multi-pronged litigation against both the congressonal and state Senate maps lawmakers re-drew following the 2010 U.S. Census.
The Florida Supreme Court is currently weighing whether to allow left-leaning groups to continue fighting the maps through deeper evidence-gathering than the high court had to work with last year when it OK’d them ahead of the 2012 elections.
Earlier this year, the groups also got a Leon County judge to allow them to start deposing legislative leaders and get access to records protected from public release.
But the First District Court of Appeal overruled that circuit court decision Wednesday, agreeing with lawyers for the House and Senate that they are shielded by legislative privilege from having to give testimony under oath about their intentions or turn over the records.
Full Article: Appeals court shields lawmakers from testifying, showing draft maps in redistricting lawsuit – OrlandoSentinel.com.
The Voting News
A News Service of the Verified Voting Foundation
