A legislative redistricting plan for Kentucky is unconstitutional because it doesn’t adequately address population shifts of the past decade, the Kentucky Supreme Court reiterated in a ruling Thursday. Justices also echoed a February decision that legislative candidates will have to run this year in districts that have been in place for the past 10 years. The 27-page ruling explains the legal rationale behind the previous ruling in which justices had originally declared the redistricting law unconstitutional.
Lexington attorney Scott White, representing Democratic state Sen. Kathy Stein who was shifted entirely out of her district, said Thursday the legal battle could have been avoided if lawmakers had done the right thing to begin with. “The legislature’s choice to stick their heads in the sand on settled Kentucky law ended up causing the districts to be out of whack for at least another year,” White said. “We certainly hope the legislature will quit messing around and do what’s right in the next legislative session.”
Full Article: Supreme Court reiterates redistricting decision