Former Michigan Democratic Party chairman and attorney Mark Brewer is preparing to sue state officials over what he alleges is an “unconstitutional partisan gerrymander” that has helped Republicans consolidate power but minimized the voice of Democratic voters he will represent. The pending lawsuit seeks to build on a recent federal court ruling in Wisconsin, where a three-judge panel ruled in a 2-1 decision that the state’s Republican-led Legislature crafted a plan for political district boundaries that “systematically dilutes the voting strength of Democratic voters statewide.” The U.S. District Court panel last week ordered Wisconsin to redraw its maps ahead of the 2018 election, but the state is expected to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Our clients believe that the current Michigan legislative and congressional redistricting plans are similarly flawed,” Brewer wrote this week in a letter he said he sent to roughly 60 state legislators, staffers and other officials involved in redrawing district boundaries following the 2010 U.S. Census.
The redistricting process takes place every 10 years and, in Michigan, is led by whichever political party holds power in Lansing.
Brewer’s letter warns recipients of the pending litigation and demands they preserve any relevant evidence. It alleges Michigan’s Republican-controlled Legislature “intentionally and effectively” gerrymandered political districts to build or preserve majorities and “diminish the effect” of Democratic voters.
“In this process of redistricting there’s quite a few people involved, so we wanted to put them all on notice that this lawsuit is coming,” Brewer told The Detroit News.
Full Article: Dems to challenge ‘partisan gerrymander’ in Michigan.