Attorneys for the Florida Legislature are calling on the Florida Supreme Court to reject proposed redistricting maps submitted by voting-rights groups. Their argument: the maps are a product of influence by Democratic “partisan operatives and political consultants.” In a court filing on Monday, lawyers representing the House and Senate are asking to discard the maps weeks before the court hears arguments on the constitutionality of redistricting approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature. The Florida League of Women Voters is among the groups that brought suit, saying the districts violate Florida’s Fair District anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendment voters put in place in 2010.
They claim Republican consultants illegally influenced lawmakers while redrawing the state’s political maps, while submitting alternate maps of their own.
Lawyers for the Legislature countered that argument on Monday, saying it was now Democratic operatives who had meddled in the latest revisions. It is an argument that mirrors the original contention that Republican consultants Pat Bainter and Frank Terraferma had too much influence over the disputed redistricting.
Full Article: Redistricted maps product of Democratic meddling, Legislature tells Court – SaintPetersBlog.